Random Thoughts about Hibari and Ipin
by K Double Prime
Summary: Thirteenth Chapter: A confession, an acceptance and an illusion. ? ? ? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Hello! I'm new here, and I also know that Hibapin pair hasn't been receiving that much love, so I'm here to give them more love and eventually make other people do the same too!

I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! in any manner.

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**In Wonderland**

I-pin hurriedly paced through the base as she carried an envelope of documents that she should deliver to the boss of the Vongola family or else_ her_ boss would be angry. So she dodged people going here and there, also making sure that what she carried didn't get folded in any manner.

Finally she reached Tsuna's room but before entering, she took a deep breath and knocked. She heard his voice from the other side as he commanded to enter and she did. Briskly she walked towards the boss of the family and placed the envelope on his desk and made a short summary of what was inside.

He smiled at her, and uttered a small thank you. As he took out the documents he continued to speak,

"I'm really glad you accepted this job." Tsuna said whilst not parting from the papers. "And I'm sorry because we really are short on hands," now he looked at I-pin who in turn looked at him with very bright eyes. She's bloomed into a very beautiful lady now. Yet he sighed and this troubled I-pin.

She dashed behind his desk and kneeled beside him, her hand on his shoulder. She could tell that he was quite tired.

"Tsuna-nii?" and then I-pin smoothly ran her hand on his back. "Maybe you should take a break." The said person sighed again and lowered his head.

"I'd love to, but there's just too much chaos that I can't take a break!" Tsuna grumbled as he flung his hands in the air, so that I-pin can see how grave the situation was. But at the same time he knew well that she always listened to news about his _family_ and continued to support him in any way that she can that will not anger _her_ boss. Tsuna swore that this time _he_ is going to kill him in the most painful way.

And then Tsuna remembered something really important, something he wanted I-pin to know in the very beginning. "I-pin, I'll be assigning you to a new post if you don't mind," he started and put into mind that it should have been _if he doesn't mind_. She nodded as she got up from her position.

"Can you please babysit my son today?"

"Of course I can. Where is he anyway?" I-pin asked, suddenly being curious. Tsuna's face turned sour at her question.

"He's at the infirmary right now." However, Tsuna quickly waved his hands and explained his son is not in a severe situation when he saw I-pin's expression. She was relieved, since Tsuna's wife, Kyoko, and their son were attacked by members of a rival family a few days ago.

I-pin quickly obliged to her new assignment but before she can even leave the room, Tsuna begged her to explain things to _him_ afterwards. She laughed at his sudden panic and at the thought that _he_ can frighten the boss of the strongest Mafia family in the world.

'Oh Hibari Kyoya, you never stop to amaze me.' She thought as she left Tsuna's office to head to the infirmary to nurse the eleventh boss.

ioioioi

I-pin entered the room and presented herself, "Hello."

And the little boy looked up from his story book to find his aunt standing at the doorway waiting to be invited into the room. With a smile, the little boy called his babysitter to come sit by his side. By the time I-pin sat down he already formed a request for hers to fulfill, a story was what he wanted to hear.

She thought for a while and thought of a good story to tell him. "Then I will tell you something about The Mad Hatter."

"Isn't The Mad Hatter a character in 'Alice in Wonderland'?" The little boy was quite curious about what else there was about that certain character that makes her aunt think The Mad Hatter was interesting. She nodded in reply and begun her story…

_Once upon a time, there was a girl who arrived at a place that she was unfamiliar of. The place was called Wonderland for there were extraordinary things in that place. The girl was really amazed at what spectacles she saw._

But the little boy interjected with a simple question, "What's the name of the girl, aunt I-pin?" To this I-pin giggled and told him to wait as she was getting to that part.

_The girl wandered through the forest and saw some people through the bushes. She heard the Cheshire Cat telling her that there was a tea party on the other side of the shrubbery, then the cat quickly disappeared. So, she walked over to the tea party, curious as she was to be a part of it as she kept in mind that it must be a fun get-together._

_But as she got closer, a creature ran away towards the other direction that she was going. She tried to ask the creature but it did not turn its back and continued to run. What was it escaping from?_

_Alas, she received a whiff of what frightened the creature from a few moments ago. A man with a black top hat attacked her yet she was able to dodge to his surprise._

"Wait! I thought you were going to tell me what the girl's name was!" The boy asked impatiently. Instead of answering, she just looked at the boy and then continued,

"_Who are you?" the girl asked as she dodged another strike. Yet the man chuckled at her question and replied,_

"_You're the one whom I should ask." He smiled grimly at his new opponent, who was quite an entertainment. So he stopped for a moment to hear her name, it should be a privilege for her for him to ask her name, was what he thought._

"_I-pin, I'm I-pin."_

"Wait a minute! That's you!" The boy frowned and pouted his lips. He crossed his arms and spoke, "I thought you were going to tell me 'Alice in Wonderland'!"

"I never told you that! I told you I was going to tell something about The Mad Hatter." She reminded the boy and went on with her story.

_When he heard her name, for him it was an uncommon one and this interested him. And so, "You're quite a tasty catch." This man dashed towards her and attacked once more to her distaste._

_She continued to evade but countered once in a while. As she continued with her tactics, she saw how destructive this man was and she continued to question his identity. So she devised a strategy to trap him and she succeeded. But such a trap was futile. To her surprise, he had stopped attacking and he removed his hat next._

"_I am The Mad Hatter." He said with a smug smile lining his lips. "You should be honored."_

_Upon seeing the man's face, I-pin was caught off-guard and bumped a table behind her as he stepped forward. She tried to grab anything that was on the table, and got a teapot. She pointed it at her attacker, trying to look dangerous as she can. A drop of liquid fell from the teapot and onto the ground._

_The Mad Hatter eyed her and she stood her ground defensively. She made a move to take a cup from the table and poured tea in it. She watched him closely if there was any hostility but there was none to her astonishment. She slowly lifted the cup to take a sip and The Mad Hatter stood still._

"_This tea isn't good at all!" She spattered then emptied the teapot of its content. Then at that very instance, The Mad Hatter seized her hand and growled at her._

Again, the boy butted in, "Aunt I-pin! The story is going nowhere!" the boy complained whilst flinging his hands in the air. I-pin patted his hair and noted how much alike this boy was with Tsuna.

"It IS going somewhere. Just be patient, okay?" She smiled at him and he had no choice but to listen to her for they are stuck with each other for the rest of the day.

_She was afraid as he gestured like a prowling predator that nailed its prey. She shook under him, but still had the strength to speak, "I-I'll make tea for you. I p-promise it'll taste good!"_

_He believed her, thus let go since he can easily kill her if she lied to him. He sat down on one of the chairs across somebody whom I-pin did not notice to be there in the first place. _

_After a few minutes, she was able to produce tea that went along with her taste. She poured some on his cup and to the other's cup. They both lifted their cups and took a sip but only the other made a compliment. Apparently, this person is a frequent and unhurt guest of The Mad Hatter in his tea 'ceremonies' and he graced her with his name, he was called Kusakabe. He told I-pin a lot of things about The Mad Hatter, but of course, in a whisper, because the Hatter did not like too much noise when he drinks his tea._

_It was said that every time that the Hatter did not have a good tea, he rampages about the forest beating up whoever crossed his path._

"And that is why The Hatter was eventually called The Mad Hatter." I-pin ended her story. The little boy told her that her story didn't really make any sense for him and it disappointed her. And then she heard Kyoko's familiar giggle from the other bed. I-pin was happy to see that she has awoken.

Aside from Kyoko waking up, I-pin's boss opened the door without knocking. He looked around the room and scared Tsuna's son when their eyes met. Afterwards he turned his glare at I-pin, approached her, looked at her for a few more seconds then turned and left the room with a growl. I-pin looked over her shoulder to see Kyoko smile as permission that she can leave and follow her boss to make sure not too much chaos ensued. She left and didn't forget to wave goodbye at them. Kyoko's smile faded slowly and was replaced by a worried look.

"I hope Tsuna won't get bitten to death today…" she sighed as her son looked at her inquisitively.

ioioioi

_In Hibari's territory_

After a very busy day of delivering documents here and there and of storytelling, I-pin gave a heavy sigh as she stood in front of Hibari's office. The men who usually stood guard there were absent as they were needed in cleaning up the recent incident. She knocked twice before entering, and then opened the door to peek, making sure the coast was clear of rampaging carnivores.

She saw him open his eyes as the door creaked open. He looked at her and Hibird, which formerly perched on his head, flew past I-pin before she closed the door. She saw that there was no more tea on his cup so she motioned for the teapot near the cup but he seized her wrist. This made her blush ten shades of red, if it was even possible.

"I don't need tea right now Alice." He said with a smug smile on his face.

"W-What does The Mad Hatter want then?" She spoke coyly, but there was an underlying flirting in her words. He smiled, wasn't it obvious?

ioioioi

The men who were under Hibari's authority were quite worried since I-pin suddenly disappeared and left the line of command. And as if it was her cue, I-pin suddenly passed by, and Kusakabe noticed that her hair was unbraided and it messily fell on her shoulders. He also saw that deep blush on her cheeks when he called her.

When they arrived at their boss's office, they saw him comfortably sitting crossed-leg on his couch, with a teacup in his hands.

"Little lamb," Hibari spoke with his eyes closed as he took in her scent that lingered under his nose.

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It's another epic failure for me if nobody, I mean nobody, reads this story and I'll end up deleting it. Anyway, if you're reading this, then that might mean you read this story, and I'm thankful for that. Please leave a review so that I know that somebody did read this chapter! Again, thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Hallo! Thanks to my friends for the title of this fic, and I think "Random Thoughts about Hibari and Ipin" is a big success! Cheers! And one more thing, thanks to the man I love for giving me inspiration everyday!

I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! in any manner.

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**The Mask That He Keeps and the Ring That She Wears**

We all know how much I-pin likes Hibari Kyoya and a testament for this is how she explodes every time she casts her eyes on him. But that was a long time ago, when she was five years old. Things are different now that she's a young lady of twenty-one.

ioioioi

On I-pin's eighteenth birthday, Nana Sawada gave her a golden ring that had a very sparkly diamond on it. It was so brilliant that it mesmerized the young girl and her Mama told her that she has in fact turned into a woman for she now appreciated the glow of diamonds.

"Why wouldn't I like it?" she asked and Nana smiled at her in response.

I-pin grew fond of that ring and she wore it everyday, even if it was going to school, to the market or some place else. Her friends couldn't help but be envious of her ring; they even thought that a man gave it to I-pin in hopes of a yes in marriage. But she just laughed at their guesses, and told them that it was given to her by her mother. Nonetheless, the idea of I-pin having a boyfriend was far more exciting according to them and to her too.

Sometimes I-pin daydreamed about a certain man giving her a ring as a sign of engagement yet she always sighed every time she realized how stupid it was to dream of something like that. With another sigh, she fished her handy out of her pocket and answered the call that which made it buzz to life.

"Is there something wrong with Tsuna-nii?" she asked invitingly. If it was being hired for another job, she was definitely going to answer yes, especially if she will be under Hibari again. Okay, back to the phone call,

"I-pin, sorry if I disturbed you," Yamamoto spoke on the other line, "We need your help."

"What is it then?" she asked quite worriedly because her adopted brother might have gotten hurt again. But it wasn't the case, good grief!

Yamamoto told her that he needed assistance in his mission and since I-pin was an assassin, then his job will be completed faster. She agreed to his request and he quickly briefed her of their meeting place and the objectives of his mission. And then they hung up…

ioioioi

The mission was a success thanks to I-pin and Tsuna was grateful that she accepted the favor. The accomplishment was a big help for the Vongola family to keep tabs on other families and to maintain peace as well. I-pin was happy too for she proved to be quite an asset to Tsuna and the others. After some chit-chat with the other guardians, she excused herself and went outside the office.

She paced through the corridors when she heard somebody call her. To her surprise, it was Yamamoto who did so. He slowed to a stop and invited I-pin to have dinner with him that night. Of course such an invitation from a man like him will surely make a girl blush and say yes, to that, she granted his request.

ioioioi

The next day, I-pin headed for the headquarters since she's been called again, but this time it was Gokudera who phoned her. She entered the premises and thought of quitting her job at the ramen shop, since she's been called a lot of times for help and mind you, the pay's a lot better.

Anyway, she entered the courtyard, for that was the place where Gokudera and Tsuna waited for her. She met Yamamoto on her way and had a little chat with him. Then she saw Hibari pass by and it startled her for her heart skipped a beat. She placed her right hand over her chest and returned to Yamamoto, with a slight blush appearing on her cheeks.

ioioioi

A quick flash caught Hibari's eyes as I-pin raised her hand. He grimaced when he recognized what it was that she wore on her finger. He became more furious when he saw that I-pin's cheeks reddened when she faced the Rain Guardian. He gave Yamamoto a glower and the other man glanced at him at that very moment, confused.

Nobody ever steps on his territory.

ioioioi

"Remove that ring," Hibari ordered but I-pin shook her head for it was very important to her. He ordered again and she refused all the same. That was his limit, so he took her right wrist and was about to remove the ring from her finger when she attacked him in defense.

"Throw it away." He growled.

"I'm not going to take it off." I-pin braced her self; if it would come to a duel with him, so be it, but she's not going to toss the piece of jewelry away. "It's important to me."

She expected him to attack at her defiance but he only smiled and approached her. She stood defensively since Hibari is a very sly creature and she can't afford to lose Nana's special gift.

"I know what your weakness is," he smirked at her yet her glare told him not to underestimate her. She waited for his attack, but what she felt didn't seem like it. He wrapped an arm around her waist and quickly pulled her into him, and as reaction, she put both of her hands in front of her to avoid her body from crashing into his.

Shock was painted all over I-pin's red face and she had forgotten the man's purpose. With her right hand placed over his chest, he took that very chance to snatch the ring. In a matter of a millisecond, they were both out of the embrace and the ring was in his hands.

I-pin cried as soon as she saw him throw it into the bushes. She followed the path of the trajectory but she was quickly seized by the wrist again.

"Let go of me you bastard!" she thumped him with her free hand and tried her best to free herself from his grasp. He pulled her close once more and murmured on her ear,

"I have feelings too," Hibari said, further closing the space between them by draping his other arm on her waist. He continued with a very hurt expression, "I'm really hurt by what you called me."

But I-pin won't believe that after all that he has done. He is nothing more than a heartless machine, sadistic and evil. "You deserve it! And stop acting!" I-pin looked at him with pure hatred, and she hadn't stopped resisting yet. His frown deepened at her said words and released her from his grip.

I-pin thought of nothing else but killing him at that very instant; there was no room for mercy, or even love for the man, in her heart anymore.

"I-pin," he said taking her right hand, not her wrist this time. She didn't sense any malice in his movements so she watched him carefully. When she looked at her hand she found a similar object being slipped on her finger, but it had more diamonds and it shined more brilliant than what she wore prior to that. She marveled at the five differently sized diamonds that adorned the gold band and nothing but a sigh escaped her lips. He looked at him, but did he think she'd forgive him that easily? Of course not!

She quickly knelt on the ground to scavenge for the lost ring. "Mama gave that to me… I can't lose it." She sniffled. Hibari looked a little taken aback.

He called her name yet again.

"What?" I-pin gave him a deadly glare. Her eyes widened as she noticed another golden ring in his palm. He pulled a trick on her! "How could you do that to me?" Tears lined her eyes as she spoke weakly, her orbs trying to find any trace of guilt in his eyes as she took the ring from him. Yet there was none.

"Hn" was all that he said. "For entertainment."

"I hate you." I-pin continued to cry as she held Nana's gift in her hands. "I really hate you." yet Hibari only challenged her remark.

"Really?" he mocked as he knelt in front of her. He tried to dry her tears but she slapped his hand away. A few seconds of silence until he spoke, "Don't you like what I gave you?"

I-pin slowly raised her head to meet him eye to eye. Her eyes were puffy and her face flushed, she was determined to exact revenge on him. She took off her new ring and threw it behind her, with neither doubts nor second-thoughts.

"I told you I hate you."

Surprisingly, Hibari held her in his arms and another tremor of shock hit I-pin's body. "That's my _mate_." His hand caressed and stroked her hair. He was actually gentle, not rough unlike a while ago. She felt his warmth and it contradicted his cold attitude.

Dumbstruck as she was, "W-What's going on?" she asked finally collecting herself.

He smiled; never had he thought that this girl was all everyone needed to see what he was like when he showed emotions. "Why ask? You should enjoy it while it lasts, little lamb." He heard her giggle in the midst of her sobbing.

It was then when she understood the phenomenon.

"Don't forget that I still hate you." Her words were muffled as she snuggled his chest.

ioioioi

A lot of Hibari's men were shuffling around the courtyard, trying to find a very small object that could be anywhere. Nobody was allowed to enter that said place, and people in the headquarters were getting curious as to why they can't enter the said area.

Kusakabe was relieved when a subordinate handed him a very fine ring after a number of hours of searching.

ioioioi

"I thought of destroying that ring." Hibari spoke without opening his eyes. He sat on his chair, facing the windows. I-pin was there too and she stood beside his table, facing the same direction as well. She looked at him and he continued to speak, "I thought some other herbivore gave it to you."

I-pin knew what he was talking about: he thought that the ring was from Yamamoto Takeshi! She sniggered as if teasing him of his stupidity. He should've known that it would always be him that she loved no matter what, after all those Valentines Days. "It's White Day today, huh?" she then heard a knock resound.

I-pin paced through the room and opened the door to let Kusakabe in. He didn't stay for long, only handed something to his boss. Truth be told, she was quite curious what it was as she watched the right-hand man leave.

She heard him stand up from his seat and turned to see him draw near with a familiar object between his fingers. He took her hand in his and put the ring on her finger gently. She took her hand and walked towards the windows to have a better view of the gem. It was beautiful indeed.

Then, the opening of windowpanes, Hibari's signature growl and I-pin's hearty giggle was heard. She had thrown the ring out of the window much to Hibari's frustration. He trudged towards her and seized her by the wrist. "You little herbivore." The last of what little patience he had was gone.

"I still hate you, you know." I-pin initiated a glaring game between the two of them and saw that anger resided in his eyes. "Try hitting me and I'll tell everybody how much of a herbivore you are." Ah yes, blackmail. He scowled; he wished he hadn't taught her that ability.

"You're in no position to blackmail me." Confidently, he showed her whose boss by pulling her closer and tipping her head. "And I won't let a word get past your lips." And he claimed her mouth with pleasure, very much excited to know how her lips tasted.

ioioioi

It was Valentines Day, and Hibari planned on proposing to I-pin, by Dino, Kusakabe and Tsuna's pestering. He held the ring that he would give her when he proposes, the same ring that I-pin throws away every White Day for the past few years.

And so, Tsuna called I-pin to his office where the four of them waited. She came in, and Dino nudged Hibari, signaling him to get it done.

"Why the heck do I need to this with you around?" Hibari hissed.

"Because we want to make sure you do it properly." Tsuna replied in place of Dino.

I-pin eyed them warily, 'They must be planning something against me' she thought. So she cautiously walked towards Tsuna's table. With an 'ahem' from Dino, Hibari finally advanced and faced I-pin. He didn't show any emotion but the guys knew that he was nervous.

"Stupid herbivores."

Without saying anything, Hibari Kyoya presented I-pin a ring and then whispered something to her ear. She blushed heatedly and tears welled in her eyes. Hibari rolled his eyes at what he saw and spoke nonchalantly, "Just get over it and say yes."

She nodded and she unexpectedly took the ring from his hand and headed for the window. Kusakabe quickly opened the window for her so she could throw the ring outside. Dino and Tsuna didn't stop her for they didn't know what she was about to do; they were too shocked to react.

Tsuna shrunk in his seat when he felt that fearful aura emanate from Hibari.

"You herbivores…!" Hibari shouted as he drew his tonfas out of nowhere. He was about to murder the people in the room when he heard I-pin shout,

"YES!" and then she turned around, tears fell continuously on her cheeks but a smile graced her features. "Do you mind breaking that emotional mask of yours for me one more time?"

"No way," And he left Tsuna's office with his mate in tow. As the two got outside they heard I-pin speak,

"Don't you want me to forgive you?" and then a gruff reply followed suit,

"Silence."

The three of them sweat-dropped and they haven't forgotten that they are still in line for the death row.

ioioioi

She looked back at her past, all those years that she spent with her rather violent husband. She sometimes gets a hit or two from him but that doesn't mean that she will not demand retribution. It sometimes frustrated Hibari Kyoya why he chose Sawada I-pin to be his mate, for she always devised a way to get even with him. And she always answered that it was him who taught her how to be cunning.

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Sorry if it was really long. I hope you didn't get bored because of that. I imagined I-pin being very stubborn and somewhat cold because of Hibari, because couples assimilate habits. Haha

HibarixIpin is love 3

And are they OOC? I think they are… Prove me wrong if ever I'm wrong (that didn't make sense). *laughs nervously*

Anyway, thanks for keeping track of this fiction. Bye!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! Here's another random thought about Hibapin! Yay! Thanks to those who reviewed the previous 'random thought', I'm really happy to know I made you, dear readers, happy as well! Hurray for Hibapin! And thank you to the anonymous reviewer, too. You guys made my day!

Hibari Kyoya and I-pin and Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is not mine and I don't own it in any manner.

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**The Girl Who Cried Wolf**

What a normal day meant for I-pin is that she has to go to school and study, no assassin's way of life, no Mafia and just… no Hibari. And this day was one of those, when her day went on like a routine from daybreak 'til sunset and this is because Hibari was summoned to Italy and was out for a month.

She can't imagine not seeing him for month, that'd be like years for her! It's not that she's obsessed with him unlike when she was younger, but it felt different to not have somebody to look up to, or at least somebody to stare at.

She didn't know what goes in her beloved's head, if ever he thinks of her as somebody special, which, according to her, was quite impossible. Yet she always put into her mind what her master told her, "Nothing is impossible." Even if it was false hope, she didn't care because all she wanted was something to believe in, to get herself moving and motivated everyday. Or so she thought. And how she fantasized everyday to hold hands with him while he took her to school every morning; well, things don't go along with your fantasies and she knew that.

ioioioi

I-pin is a realistic and observant girl, and being as she is, she noticed how many boys have been attracted to her. Their number was not too many yet not the least, but the quantity didn't matter; only one did in fact snare her heart ever since she knew what love was. But that someone will never notice her, oh the ironies of life. Or so she thought.

Some of her friends get jealous for the reason that she had a fair amount of suitors, but they weren't aware of what kind of torture she had to endure everyday of her being. This is because some people have tendencies to stalk other people, and let's just say she's got some psychotic suitors trailing her behind.

One traumatic experience in connection to this was when she was cornered by her own stalkers. She was not afraid of getting hurt but she was afraid of hurting them. Remember that I-pin can kill with a simple yet powerful stretch of her arm because of her training as an assassin. This is where Hibari comes in.

He's not the type that would go save somebody and I-pin's not delusional to think that one day he might become her knight in shining armor. However, his name bears so much meaning to those who live in Namimori; his name is like a taboo, the name of the demon or anything that can be attributed to pure evil and mishaps. Nobody who's sane enough muttered his name in public for it only brought shuddering and extreme fright of getting bitten to death. Nevertheless, I-pin used it as a protective charm. How you ask?

A few months back, rumors did spread that I-pin was once an acquaintance of him, and a lot of young 'uns didn't want to get involved with her for quite a while. But things do fade into darkness, and some things are forgotten as time passed by, bringing change along with it. The formerly terrifying envoy of Hibari transformed into a more acceptable and ordinary young woman, who later attracted men to her side.

But some people do not forget, or they can never forget anything that has any connection to that unholy man. One utterance of his name from I-pin, the stalkers will quickly disappear, like how spilled water evaporates on a very hot day.

She never expects Hibari to actually come and help her though, for firstly, she doesn't need help anyway, and secondly, he's not the type of person who helps people in need!

ioioioi

I-pin once thought that she was like the boy who cried wolf because of this, but in her case it was the girl who cried the name of Satan. And this has been very useful to her, until one afternoon.

Her stalkers surrounded her and forced her to enter an unpopulated alley way. She tried to scare them by using her strategy, but it turned out that they had discovered that Hibari was out of town.

'Oh great, nice try.' was what I-pin thought alongside plans of escaping. She could just hit them and then run away and say that it was in defense. Yet there were four of them and only one of her in a quite narrow alley. She planned to use her strategy again and she knew what was at stake. She opened her lips and called his name, slowly backing away and into the dead end. Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she found herself helpless like a little girl.

"K-Kyoya…" and that was her last call. However, her stalkers didn't seem to be afraid of her chanting his name, and this left her no choice at all. "Break their bones and make them suffer" was the last item on her plans list but such an action was only reserved for Hibari's use, making her listen to her conscience.

"That demon will never come!" one of them mocked.

She closed her eyes, voiding her of the sight of her assailants, and nothing was left to do but believe. Loud sounds of bones cracking and groans travelled through the still air. She opened her eyes only to see the boys lying on the ground, clutching their bodies that were in pain. She looked up only to see a familiar shade and she heard a more familiar voice,

"What were you herbivores crowding here for?" he asked. It pained her that Hibari was sometimes so ignorant, even to the point of grouping her with those guys. Nonetheless, she still admired, no, loved that person with her pure heart.

"I didn't know that chanting your name actually worked." She said with watery eyes but was met by Hibari's indifference as he turned to walk out of the alley. She followed suit, careful not to step on the bodies that littered on the ground.

"Welcome back." She was grateful he came.

ioioioi

Nobody ever dared to stalk her again, as a new rumor sprouted out of nowhere: "Stalk I-pin if you dare to face death!" In fact no one has any idea who started the gossip; it came to them by word of mouth. As for I-pin, she's relieved that nobody will ever try that for a while and she would have to thank her savior for that matter. But it still kept her curious,

"Who started that gossip?" she wondered as she walked towards her next class. She was partly irritated sine she was associated with death; it made her a bit fearful for people might discover her dark secret. On the bright side though, it was security.

Oh, and she never got to know what Hibari thought about her. Some things just aren't meant to happen and sometimes there are some things that you aren't supposed to know… Or so she thought.

ioioioi

"Lucky little lamb," Hibari smirked as he sat on his swivel-chair in his office and Hibird's chirping provided him with a little music. He heard someone knock on the door.

"Chairman," one of his men entered his office and then continued his report, "It had spread like wildfire, sir." When he finished, Hibari dismissed him with silence, as he turned to his contemplations.

Every now and then, Hibari thought if he was only repaying her for those chocolates she gave him every Valentines Day, but he wouldn't like to think of it as something herbivore-like. Even so, he can't wait for that next V-Day.

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Thanks for reading this random thought, and I hope you enjoyed it! I'm having fun doing this stuff because of your support. Again, I thank you and because of this, I think this fandom will last long… See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Another Random Thought based from another story, I think I don't have that much originality. Anyway, it's random so it doesn't matter.

This is important so read it: **You might not understand some concepts if you're not familiar with Greek mythology. So read the end notes for this chapter to make some sense of the story if that is the case.**

At any rate, thanks for your support, because of that I will continue writing better stories!

Hibari Kyoya and I-pin, along with trademarks of "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!" are copyright to their respectful owners! I will never own them!

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Here Comes Hades, Persephone

Nana had been a lot happier ever since I-pin and Lambo came to her house. From that day on, she had two more children to take care of and had twice the mischief added to that of Tsunayoshi. But as you see, even though life was harder for her, it was more fulfilling, for she had a daughter from that day forward.

Tsuna admitted that he liked the idea of having a sister, and I-pin was a promising one, though she kind of overshadowed him in academics, but it didn't matter. As long as his mother was happy, he was too.

As years passed by, change walked down the path time had prepared for her. And with that, Tsuna had become the Tenth boss of the Vongole family, while I-pin decided to have a pretty normal life. Although she lived with Nana, she still wanted to be independent, thus she took part-time jobs here and there to Nana's frustration.

Being a mother, she can't just let her daughter be out on the streets after sundown doing her job, but it pained her to cage I-pin at home on the other hand. There was nothing she could do but let her be, and to that, the daughter was contented.

One day, I-pin set out to go to school and Nana was troubled that she might get sick for working too much. All day she had been thinking of the young girl, and even got cut when preparing the vegetables for dinner.

"I hope she's fine," Nana spoke as she nursed her small cut.

That night, I-pin didn't come home, and Nana had been distraught thinking of all possible things happening to the said person. Despite the fact that she knew the young girl had been practicing martial arts, she was still a girl no matter what! Nana was afraid that she'll never hear from her again.

So she called Tsuna, who was in a meeting with his guardians, unbeknownst to her.

ioioioi

Tsuna had organized another meeting with his famiglia regarding a previous arrangement, that is, one of the six guardians will have to be sent to Italy since a lot of skirmishes had been rampant between local famiglia.

It was a miracle that all six were there, and that nobody was late. It was a miracle indeed, but such a thing according to Tsuna makes his stomach turn.

The conference commenced as Gokudera, Tsuna's right-hand man, specified the objectives. Questions were asked here and there, the most important being: "Who will be sent to Italy?" The Tenth generation boss swallowed as he was worried that his plan would not work, for he has some frightening guardians. Nevertheless, he spoke,

"We will decide who will be sent to Italy by voting." He declared then looked around, peering into the eyes of the other people who were there and saw that there were no objections. He continued, "You can abstain if you want." His last statement was directed at a specific person in the room but he looked at everyone instead.

Thus, the selection of which guardian had begun. The result was unanimous, and as Tsuna was told who it was, he hesitated for a bit because he knew what the outcome would be in the very beginning. He wished he just appointed him, but the blame would be his entirely. At least with the vote system, he wasn't totally at fault.

"Um," he started, "the one who will be sent to Italy will be Hibari Kyoya." Tsuna did not stutter, but in his mind he was aware that the cloud guardian will not approve. He was not afraid of Hibari biting him to death, but he was afraid that he'll have to busy himself thinking of whom to substitute. (Tsuna had grown and did not bother himself too much when it comes to threatening and scheming guardians.)

Everyone looked towards the sadistic disciplinarian's direction, and found him smiling.

"Is this acceptable?" Tsuna asked hesitantly but was met by a positive remark.

"Just make sure you herbivores don't make a mess out of Namimori." Hibari spoke and he didn't have to say his tag line for everyone to understand that it was an order.

ioioioi

The meeting was adjourned without too much chaos, and the members of the family poured out of the doors. Tsuna walked beside the Storm Guardian, the latter told the former to take a break while things are calm. The Tenth nodded yet sighed when he heard his phone buzz. He took it out of his coat's inner pocket and looked at who was calling him. Seeing that it was his mother, he answered her call with a serene hello.

"Tsuna, have you seen I-pin?" his mother started with a shaky voice. And he replied quickly,

"Um," Tsuna looked around to verify that I-pin was indeed there and saw her together with Lambo and Futa. "No, but I saw her a while ago, told me that she will be late tonight."

He heard a sigh from the other end, some messages, and little words of good bye and they hung up. He sighed to himself as well, how could he lie to his mother? *

ioioioi

I-pin had parted with her former companions and was currently walking in the corridors of the base in deep thought. Why you ask? It so happened when she was on her way to the meeting she accidentally bumped into the Cloud Guardian when she came into a corner.

She wasn't bitten to death but she was given a deadly glare so sharp that she felt her heart being cut out of her chest. Hibari was indeed vey frightening. But remembering him made her blush and in addition, the person in her contemplations was nearby!

I-pin heard him talking to Kusakabe while she neared them, apparently about some matters that had to be done while he was away. He dismissed his subordinate quickly when I-pin was a few steps in distance. He faced her and the blush on her face became more noticeable.

Just like a predator seeing its prey, Hibari narrowed his eyes as he felt his hormones make his desires alive. He lunged forward and surprised I-pin, barely giving her time to defend. He shoved her to a nearby wall and held her neck with a firm grip while his other hand held on to I-pin's crossed wrists.

"Weak arms," Hibari muttered while his face hovered a few centimeters from I-pin's, his breath brushing lightly on her cheeks, and to this she would have blushed but the heat of the moment made her forget that Hibari Kyoya was her attacker.

A kick to the shin was her plan, but Hibari has so much experience in fighting that he locked her legs by pressing his against them (his stance is at right angles with I-pin's, as her back made contact with the wall) and made another nasty comment, "And weak legs too." However, I-pin smiled at his remarks,

"Just because you're strong," she started at the same time as breaking his clench on her wrists and then moved away from his striking distance, "Doesn't mean I'm not going to fight back." Well, I-pin wasn't ranked the strongest female Mafioso for nothing.

"Perfect." He said, and roughly snatched her arm, heaving her off to some place else. She resisted by pulling at her arm but his grip only tightened. She tried to attack with her free arm but he twisted the other behind her back with a quick movement.

"Do you want to break your arm?" he asked quite coldly whilst twisting her arm more. And to that she winced, Hibari never had a concept of mercy.

'There's got to be a way out of this.' I-pin thought as she attempted to shake him off. But she froze when Hibari's lips neared her ear, a ticklish breathing made her uncomfortable.

"I don't want to hurt you so don't make me." He said; it was a threat a normal person would have been afraid of. But in I-pin's case, it made her struggle more. He growled, and turned her around thus removing his hold on her arm. It was sudden and his face was so close I-pin couldn't help but blush.

Then she felt a wave of pain pooling in her stomach, prompting her to look straight into his eyes to find an explanation but there was none. She held onto his coat and gasped for air as her vision darkened. She never knew how painful his rumored punch was until then. She did not clutch her abdomen for she did not want to show how pained she was, but her face betrayed her all the same.

"You… really a-are Hades…" those were her last words before she completely fainted in his arms. He smiled as he proceeded to carry her off and his voice echoed in the hall, saying

"And you are Persephone."

ioioioi

Bad news reached Tsuna that I-pin was nowhere to be found. His men even interrogated Lambo and Futa since they were the last ones to see her before her disappearance, but still no information about her. He slumped on his desk, his arms lolling over his paper works.

"Oh Zeus, where is I-pin?" His phone rang and he was surprised to see Hibari was calling him. Will the gods answer his questions through him? He answered it with shivering hands but a female voice spoke on the other line.

*Tsuna's POV*

"Hello Tsu-nii?" I freaked out when I heard I-pin's voice. Lots of question pervaded my mind like: Why is she using Hibari's phone? What's going on? The hell, Kyou-san has a lot of explaining to do.

"I-pin, is that really you?" I asked and heard her say yes, but her voice seemed different though. I can have my own doubts, right? "Where are you? Why are you using the Cloud Guardian's—" yet another voice spoke from the other side,

"Relax herbivore." It was Hibari Kyoya and my blood boiled when I heard him speak, "She'll be payment for this job."

He hung up before I can even say anything. Damn it! What will I say to Mom about I-pin being absent for six months?

*End of Tsuna's POV*

ioioioi

'_Finally, after six months, Hibari was back along with my sister. I came to the airport even though it was against my schedule, I had to face him. If I could have just went to Italy and smacked him upside-down… Wait, here they come.'_

The first one to come in sight was Hibari followed by I-pin. _'Wait what the hell!'_

Tsuna freaked out when he saw I-pin's bulging stomach! Her dress didn't help to hide it, was she even trying to hide it? He gritted his teeth when they approached him, his adopted sister stood behind the Cloud Guardian, as if trying to hide her shame from Tsuna.

"I-pin," Tsuna ordered and she walked towards his side. He kept his eyes on the raven-haired man, and flames of anger lit his brown orbs. The man in the opposition just smirked then walked past the Tenth Vongole boss to escort I-pin to the car.

'_He didn't even have guilt in him. And that made me angrier. But something stopped me from killing him, it was I-pin's eyes that did. I cannot proceed to hurt him for doing so will also hurt her.'_

Why Hibari of all men? Why the god of that cold hell? That Tsuna asked himself.

ioioioi

I-pin came home and Nana had the same sentiments when she saw her daughter. I-pin will have to start explaining things soon, but she has a lot of time to do so. However, the thought of becoming a grandmother excited Nana more than anything.

After a few months, I-pin gave birth to a healthy boy who looked a lot like her but had ebony hair, and she named him Karasu. Hibari didn't come around the Sawada residence for the past six months, didn't even come near the bloc where it stood. Tsuna was glad for this but he knew such peace invited a tempest.

He needed to send Hibari to Italy for six months again, as a regular rain check, and I-pin, along with her son, inevitably disappeared as well.

End.

\End notes:

Here are some facts about this story:

Hades is the Greek god of the underworld. If you're wondering who Persephone is, she's the daughter of Demeter (the goddess of harvest). Persephone got kidnapped by Hades and was taken to the Underworld where she became his bride. Her mother wept and the humans grew hungry for no tree bore any fruit. So, every six months she returned to her mother by Zeus's plea bargain, and half of that span of time was known as spring and the other summer. After that she has to go back to the Underworld and that'll be the start of autumn and then the cold winter. That is the gist of the story of Persephone, and it's actually the legend of seasons.

Zeus is the supreme Greek god.

And Karasu is Raven in Niponggo.

~But then I thought Mukuro should rightly be the god of the Underworld; it's a random thought. XD

*I was thinking here that Nana doesn't know about what Tsuna does for a living. Meh, correct me if I'm wrong.

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I never thought that reviews are so important if you're striving to be a better writer, and that, you should say what should be really said, that sometimes you have to say the truth even though you know it might hurt. Thanks to a certain user who can be attributed to a fig, although you don't know me; I only stumbled upon a review of yours and it made me realize my past mistakes. XD

Hey thanks for reading this long one. I hope you liked it. Criticisms are very welcome, opinions and suggestions are also welcome, as well as flaming.

_Bon Journee!_ (Good Day!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Ramblings:** Hallo! Another random thought that you might not be interested in, but it will have the usual amount of HibarixIpin romance, and I'm hoping you're not just after the pairing but the story itself. By the way, I always make sure that I-pin is at least 18 in my random thoughts, since Hibari appears a real pedophile when assuming the contrary. And I will keep the thoughts as short as possible, so as not to bore you guys. :D

And another note: I-pin is 21 in this thought. And this thought has no connection with the previous one.

**WARNING: Angst and character death and a bit of OOC-ness**

Bear with me.

I do not own "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!" in any manner, because if I did, it'll be a romance story rather than a comedy-action genre anime, and I-pin would be the Tenth Vongola boss.

* * *

**Machiavellianism ~Penitence is a new word~**

"_It is better to be hated than to be loved…"_

"Whoah!" echoed the voice of two boys in the corridor as they were awed by the sheer strength a certain girl showed them. "You're really strong Sawada-san!" they said while the girl was transferring the ice to the container.

Not only that, but the professor was also amazed by her demonstration, "Are you a black-belter in Tae Kwon Do, I-pin?" she asked.

"No, ma'am, but I practice a little of martial arts." She smiled. The tube ice was clumped together and it didn't fit in the container, she sighed.

"Seems like it still doesn't fit, senior," Another male student spoke, stating the obvious.

I-pin instructed the aforementioned student to prop the ice over the Styrofoam chest. She breathed in, then somebody's face flashed in her mind making anger rise in her. With a shout, she struck the ice with her fist and the breaking of ice again resounded in the corridors.

While I-pin and another student were taking care of the ice, a student approached, this time a girl, and then told her that her hand was bleeding. Indeed it was, and the skin over I-pin's middle knuckle was torn off, the others were riddled with ice splinters and her fingers were full of cuts. Yet she dismissed it quickly and attended to what she was doing.

Finally, the ice fit perfectly into the chest and was taken inside the laboratory. I-pin asked her professor for forgiveness though; she almost destroyed the container in the process.

Suddenly, she remembered her wounded hand, so she raced to the clinic while the others were setting up the thermodynamics experiment. Arriving there, she asked the nurse for help about her hand. The nurse then told I-pin to sit near the table that had medical stuff over it. Of course it is the job of the school nurse to ask what caused such a bloody injury and I-pin didn't know how to start.

"Well, you could have used something else to crush the ice you know." The nurse said while putting peroxide on her wounds. I-pin couldn't feel the sting of the liquid for her hand hurt ten times more.

What the nurse said made her think though, as to why she did that. She could have just let the boys take care of it, but she enjoyed what she did anyway; there was no point in regretting it. Imagining his face be hit by such a punch was fulfilling in many ways; it felt good to release some stress once in a while.

The nurse was done then dismissed her, and she ran back to the laboratory with a hand stained with iodine.

ioioioi

I-pin was glad that the stressful day was over; her bleeding hand didn't help at all. But there was still something to look forward to, seeing her daughter is enough to distract her from her problems.

She removed her shoes after she entered the door of the Sawada's residence and called out to the owner of the house while in the corridor. I-pin heard her call back and went to the living room to find Nana playing with Shiranui, a baby girl that had steely dark-blue eyes. The roughly year-old child kept on trying to grab the keys from the older woman who hung the said object over the baby's head, shaking it to keep the child's attention.

Nana saw I-pin enter the room and the baby was finally able to grab the keys due to the diversion. And to that, the younger woman dashed to take the keys before it got into the infant's mouth.

"You can't do that." I-pin reprimanded the child but with a gentle and calm tone. She then glared at Nana, the one who baited the keys, yet got a smile in return. I-pin gave back the keys and took Shiranui while thanking Sawada Nana for the help.

"It's okay, you know!" Nana said while putting a palm on her own cheek, "I haven't been taking care of children anyway." She spoke as I-pin collected her things and prepared to go. She then escorted the younger one to the door and was about to say goodbye when she remembered something, "By the way, Ran-chan is really like her father." With quite a solemn smile on her face, she referred to the child that was in I-pin's arms.

"Don't say that Aunt Nana!" was her reply. Her back faced Nana and she prepared to leave the vicinity but when she got to the gate she turned and spoke, "Maybe a little bit, about liking birds and cute animals." Then she left.

ioioioi

She arrived at her own house, a bloc away from where she came from, and then tried to unlock the door yet to her surprise, the door opened by its self. She was shocked for a moment but eased when she saw who opened the door.

She greeted him, "Oh you're back, Hibari-san." Without looking at him, she entered the house, removed her shoes then went to the living room to put Shiranui on a crib. Hibari trailed her and when she swirled to get a bottle of water, she crashed into him. I-pin hissed upon the collision, yet Hibari kept quiet; eyeing her until she got out of the room.

The child that lay in the crib caught his attention moreover, he reached out a hand to touch the baby and the child reciprocated his actions. But when they were about to have contact, he heard I-pin shout "Don't you dare touch her!"

He retreated then straightened and at that time, I-pin came back with two bottles in hand. She shoved past him, then gave the bottle containing milk to the baby, and propped it on a pillow as the baby sucked on the nipple.

She stood up, and was about to pick her other things when Hibari pulled her arm rudely so she faced him. He took the bottle of water that resided in her hand then threw the object on the couch, all that was done without losing eye contact with the Chinese woman. He started,

"That child," he looked at the crib's direction momentarily then back at I-pin, "is mine, am I right?"

I-pin pulled her arm yet he did not let go, answered his question next. "She is not _yours_." She stated so because the way he referred to Shiranui as a property pissed her off, so she might as well piss him off. Their glaring game lasted for a minute but suddenly ended when they heard a cry. Hibari let I-pin tend the child that demanded attention.

"You don't care about us after all." I-pin suddenly spoke while she carried the then grumpy child, and lulled it in her arms. She moved towards the sliding glass doors that lead to the patio, but to her surprise the glass shattered after a familiar loud sound rang through the air and she protected Shiranui from the shards in reaction.

Hibari instructed I-pin to take cover in case there was a next shot. It was a good thing that he did not take off his shoes when he went inside the house, and it made it easy for him to tread over the broken glass.

Hibari ran towards the backyard and saw a shadow move somewhere over the roof of another house and he pursued it by jumping onto the wall that separated I-pin's house from the street. That was when he saw that the assassin was aiming at him.

The assassin fired, and Hibari successfully evaded the projectile. With the assassin missing his mark, he leapt onto the roof that his opponent was on. He lunged forward to initiate close combat and his enemy put up a resistance. But resistance against Hibari was futile, thus the murderer was sentenced to a quick death.

With it done, he called Kusakabe and ordered assistance, then carried the body down and to I-pin's back yard. When he touched the ground, he turned toward the house only to see I-pin on the floor inside the house, leaning on the couch all the while still holding her child; she was bleeding. He then realized that the assassin was trying to kill _anybody_ in the household.

He watched her carefully as he approached; trying to get a hint of movement and found that she was still alive as she tried to unbutton her shirt. He closed in and he saw her bared breasts, a large gaping hole was there just below her left collar bone. Blood continued to gush out of her wound, yet she did not mind and continued what she was about to do—she breastfed Shiranui on her right.

I-pin looked up at Hibari and smiled weakly. Her lips then formed words and she spoke to him in a very hoarse voice which was barely audible that Hibari couldn't help but crouch close to her just to hear her speak…

ioioioi

I-pin breathed her last and Hibari took the baby that she held and set it down on the crib. After he did, he returned to the Chinese woman and closed her shirt, subsequently covered her body with his coat that he had taken off.

The smile on her face made him conclude that she died peacefully. He wondered why he longs to hear her speak and why the time he conversed with her seemed so long although it only lasted roughly six minutes. Whatever was going on with him was something he did not like but something he could not deny; he had never felt so sad in his entire life.

What was the difference? So many deaths had occurred in front of him before, some he being the culprit, but none had been so strong that it invoked his long dead feelings.

His mind slowly crept back to reality and he heard Kusakabe call his name and was surprised that his subordinate had shaken him for a few times. Stimuli entered his mind, the blaring sound of the ambulance, the scurrying of feet on the floor, he finally felt everything. Was he that lost in his thoughts? He was; he didn't even hit Kusakabe for doing _what_ _woke_ _him up_.

He stood up and went to take the baby from the crib. While he picked her up, his mind reeled back to the conversation that happened between him and I-pin and it kept on bugging him.

ioioioi

Even though she was weak and tired, I-pin still tried her best to talk to him; she told him a lot of things, some were important and some he ignored but what he couldn't forget was how she looked so strong for a dying person. He wondered if he would be the same if he were dying.

Anyway, Hibari contemplated on his blurry memory of the conversation and retraced everything over and over. He didn't understand as to why he did, it all just happened.

"I wanted to say so many things, that I hate you for leaving me behind after making me think that you did care," was what she said and he remembered replying "It's better to be hated than to be loved…" the smile on her lips was so vivid in his memories that his insides twist.

Her spoken words were clear as well, despite the fact that she was losing her breath, "Machiavelli said if it was not both." Bloodstained was her hand that held his cheek but he did not mind at all, so she continued to caress his face, "But it's better to be loved than to be hated if you are loved and hated at the same time." He furrowed his brows, a bit confused at what she said and at the same time, was confused as to why he let her crowd him.

A few more seconds and tears rolled down her cheeks, her breathing shortened more, yet she went on, "Take care of Ran-chan for me."

That was when he interjected, "Don't tell me what to do."

"I'm not ordering you," she leaned forward and kissed him, breaking it only to speak further, "I'm asking you a favor. Please?" he did not remember saying anything but I-pin smiled anyway. "Thanks, I love you so much, the man whom I hate at the same time." A pause, "I trust you."

"I can always betray you, what if I did?" he asked but silence reigned in the house, and the beating of her heart was clear against such silence. He closely listened to it as it grew weaker, even wished that it would not stop, but nothing can prevent her soul from escaping her body.

She was gone but life goes on. He stared at her lifeless form with his unsympathetic look, but he very well knew what bothered him inside, and it made him rethink his ideals. Furthermore, he couldn't remove from his mind what I-pin used to say every time he met her by his apathy and his lack of emotions, '_A rock hard surface does not protect the heart._'

_Epilogue_

A few days later, gossips had been circulating in the Vongole family, a Yakuza family was found massacred in their own headquarters, apparently the family was one of those that had a grudge against the Vongole's Cloud guardian; news about I-pin being murdered, and about Hibari having a love-child, to name a few. But talking about it publicly was something like a taboo for all of the rumors were somehow related to the president of the Foundation.

What's more, I-pin's death was a touchy topic especially to Kyoko, Haru and the Thunder guardian Lambo. But everybody seemed to forget somebody who was mourning more than anyone, though he would not admit himself.

It was a timely death for the Sakura spring, pink petals fluttering in the wind made him scowl in irritation, as an ache coursed through his head. What a pain it was for him, but he was the one who ordered to have I-pin's grave near a Sakura tree, and aside from that, he learned a new word—penitence.

A daily ritual that he imposed on himself, along with carrying the infant named Hibari Shiranui in his arms every time he went to visit the Chinese's grave. It was such a bother and it was something that he wouldn't do, but the person to whom he dedicated his recent actions was somebody close to being important, a necessity that he only realized after she was gone.

He murmured something before he left the grave,

"I'll make sure that I'll hate and love this burden at the same time," quite ironic for he will never again feel anything.

End

"…_If not both."_

_Niccolo Machiavelli_

/Endnotes

Machiavellianism is drawn from the harsh reality of this world, that a person won't be able to survive if he was too weak, innocent and a goody-two-shoes. I think that it is all about being cunning, and of finding ways of how to manipulate everything in your environment, i.e. getting anything that you want by the way you want to. Also, not being too trusting is a point in Machiavelli's argument of how to get political power. It really suits Hibari in every point of perspective. If there is something wrong from the above statements, do correct me.

Just look up Niccolò Machiavelli's "The Prince" if you want to know more.

/

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**Random Ending Thoughts:** I know the composition sucks a little, compared to the previous thoughts... And it's longer to boot! XD Anyhow thanks for reading! I love you guys! Ich liebe dich! Je t'aime! Aishiteru! Mahal ko kayo! Did I spell those correctly? Ahahahaha I know it is frigging angsty and all, forgive me for the theme.

Please leave a review for this chapter. That is all.

_Danke!_ (Thank you!)

A paradox:

~ If God can do anything, can he create a boulder so heavy he can't lift it? ~


	6. We Live Our Lives On Different Sides 1

**Author Ramblings:** Bonjour! This is K here, and I hope you like this fic that came to me very randomly. Thanks to 'Stigmatized' by The Calling. XD

This is a speculative fiction, that is, I'll try to construct Hibari's other 'sides' by using what traits were given by Akira Amano. Hate me if you don't like what arose from my construction, I'm open to flaming. And to AI, there's a note for you in the end of this chap.

**WARNING: The author's excessive use of imagination will mind-rape you. XD I-pin has no specific age here; just don't imagine a version of her that is younger than fifteen. I think it's slight AU, I think… :D and it's rated M… but for now it's not.**

**We Live Our Lives on Different Sides **

~ Surreal or Not? ~

Hibari Kyoya does not like crowds, and many had tried to think of reasons as to why. But if he was asked would he tell us the truth? Of course we'd get bitten to death first then never find out. Yet there are so many sides of Hibari Kyoya that we do not know, and we really would like to see what kind of personality he has given a chance for him to be truly him…

A nineteen-year old, raven-haired lad made his way through town, and people dispersed every time he was to pass their way. Such authority did the boy exude that the townsfolk did not dare cross his path; they were afraid that they will be beaten to death if they did and they treasured their lives too much to die in his hands.

Nevertheless, he continued to walk with his eyes on the ground, not thinking of looking into their eyes, though sometimes he did and gazing into their orbs, he saw a lot of emotions—fear, sadness, joy and a lot more he could not fathom as to why they cling to such sentiments.

He went on, until he arrived at his own home, nobody else was there, and he lived a solitary life. Maybe he had parents but he didn't want to be with them, they were absurd or they simply didn't care. So he unlocked the door and went in, thinking of just lying in bed and do nothing for the rest of the day, and locked the door before he forgot.

He felt weakness overcome him; he snarled at its effects, his limbs were getting weaker and his eyesight was blurring, and he felt that he touched the floor. His vision went back after a few moments, and he was glad that it did.

He decided that he just needed to rest, so he turned to his room yet a visage of another person on his bed made him whip out his destructive tonfa.

He approached cautiously, closed in and saw that the figure was a girl. He poked her with the other end of the said weapon yet she did not respond. He looked around, for he was sure that there was no other way to get inside his apartment but through the front door. He had nothing that would be important so he decided that there is nothing more than the mad prank.

Lowering his guard, he collapsed his tonfa and put it back on his belt. At that time, he looked at the girl that lay on his bed; her face held quite beautiful features and it was pleasing to his eyes. He reached out a hand to shake the girl and wake her up to get her out of his apartment. His hand touched her skin, it was soft and it was as smooth as fine Chinese porcelain and upon touching it, he felt a rather weird static electricity that felt good to the senses.

He pulled back his hand abruptly, 'What the heck was that?' Needles seemed to prick his palm in every direction.

The girl finally awoke but he did not remember shaking her, he just touched her. She stood up, braids of hair flowed on her back. He laid his eyes on hers, and found brown ones staring directly at him and it was quite unnerving because she seemed to be dissecting him just by looking. His patience ran out, and grabbed the girl's neck with a vice-like grip, then began interrogating her,

"How did you get in here?" he said as his hold got tighter.

"I don't know…" she spoke yet he asked again only to get a similar response. If you think of it, how the damn heck did she get there and she did not know? She must be lying. Or maybe she was telling the truth. He let go, and she choked on air that was flooding her lungs. After her breathing normalized, he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of his apartment and left her out in the cold…

He woke up, and found that he had dozed off. His hunger awoke him from his slumber and he went directly to the fridge to scavenge any leftovers but there was none, he scowled. He trudged through his apartment and to the door, opened it and went outside and almost jumped out of his skin when he saw the girl still there by his doorstep.

He recomposed himself as the girl turned to look at him, her lips had turned quite blue and she was shivering. What amazed him is that the female did not even have a look of pleading in her, but he knew that the girl needed warmth. He sighed, and signaled the girl to stand up as he opened the door. The girl noticed his order and obeyed and dusted herself, then followed him into his house.

He found her a jacket and a muffler. Handing it to her, he was shocked that she held his hand instead of taking the articles of clothing. There it was again, the familiar static electricity that he felt a while ago. It took him a few moments to realize what she was doing, and prompted to slap her hand away.

"Don't crowd me," he growled at the young girl who simply looked at him. It pissed him off, naturally other people would have been afraid but this girl had no emotion in her. It felt as if he was being reflected and it terrorized him. Weird as it was, he tried to find out what was wrong with his unwanted guest.

"Can you talk?" he began.

"Yes, I can." The girl answered back.

"Good." He reassured. "You said you don't remember how you got in here, is there something else you can remember?" He said while picking up the jacket and the muffler then giving it to her. He anticipated that if he gave it to her the way he did before she will do what she did again, so he bothered himself by putting the jacket on her shoulders and wrapping the muffler around her neck

"I can't remember anything," she said sadly, and he felt sympathizing but he's not a herbivore to do that. So he sat across her from the table and continued,

"Even your name?" then he gazed into her eyes, and the girl made him feel really unusual. After he gets the information he wants, he was going to kill her for sure.

There was a long silence before she could answer, "My name's I-pin." The expression in her eyes changed into that of delight then she asked quickly, "What is yours?"

"None of your business," he asked dismissing their conversation, then told her that she can keep the jacket as he took her out of his apartment and he needed to nourish his stomach with food. "Go." He ordered as he locked the door behind him, they now stand outside where chilly winds graced their skin.

"What is your name?" she asked again.

He was growing tired of the girl so he walked past her, yet he heard her footsteps following him. He turned with a fist to hit her and to teach her a lesson of not bothering him, but she blocked it immediately. He smirked, the girl just keeps on surprising him, so he tried another hit then another until the both of them were sparring. 'I'll forget about killing you.' He thought as he enjoyed the exchange of blows.

The fact that I-pin was strong was something he could reconsider but every time they touched, the familiar current was there. It's not that it was electrocuting and it gave him a different kind of sensation but he just keeps on dismissing it.

Anyway, he stopped on attacking as he was growing hungrier by the moment. He turned to continue on his way to the nearest convenience store. She followed him as expected, and it made him smirk for she was like a small animal that followed its master wherever the latter went. A reward for a good pet would be nice.

"Hibari Kyoya," he said and he heard her reply with a confused sound, so he repeated "That's my name, Hibari Kyoya."

"Hibari-san is a very nice name." she said while wrapping a hand on the hem of the jacket he wore. People saw the act, as they were walking in town, and the others felt sorry for the girl who trailed the boy named Hibari, because she was going to be bitten to death for crowding him. He looked over his shoulder and gave the girl a deadly glare, and by that she learned that any contact other than physical hits was forbidden.

Hibari returned to his apartment with food at hand, and he has gotten tired of the girl that followed him like a tail. He went inside but then didn't feel her follow so he turned to see the girl having doubts of entering his apartment. "What's wrong?" He asked; it was ironic, he wanted the girl to enter but he also wanted her to disappear from his sight. It was really strange.

"I can't enter Hibari-san's house. He does not like it when I am inside."

He heard her speak with a very small voice, with her hands playing with a muffler's end. He sneered as the girl had learned two of the things that make him tick. Really, what else can she learn after a day of being with him?

He gestured for her to come inside and found the girl was very reluctant to follow. It was pissing him off and even though his face always sported a scowl, the girl saw a minute difference, and noticed that he was getting irritated. She quickly stepped inside then closed the door with a look on her face that said 'Please don't be angry at me! I won't do it again!'

That's another thing to memorize. Really, the girl made him interested in many different ways. He had never been excited about something that was not related to fighting and/or strength. What other things can he learn just by being with her for a day?

They ate; sometimes had small talk and he saw that she understood things very fast. He thought of having her as a subordinate, and noted that it would be _fun_ since she was willing to follow his every command and be there at his beck and call. Aside from that, a personal toy wouldn't be so bad. He is a man after all, and new stimuli are well appreciated as long as they are not related to emotions…

Nightfall came, the most likely time in the day that he would sleep comfortably, and the girl still stayed with him. He had told her to go countless times, though not verbally, but the girl insisted that she didn't know where to go if she did leave. It was fine for him too, she wasn't the type who crowds (she learned that it was forbidden earlier in the day) and that she was quiet as well, busied herself by playing with the small canary that he kept as a pet.

His yawn made her look at his direction. Watching him closely as he made his way to bed, she followed up to the door and peeked at what he was doing. Hibari was taking off his jacket and his shirt that time, baring the scars that he acquired from relentless brawls. Then he felt a hand touch his back and the current returned; it seemed to connect the both of them. He didn't move nor order her to go away for the contact paralyzed him.

"Do you enjoy getting hurt?" I-pin asked whilst feeling each scar that adorned his back, for it looked like it was some kind of painting on a canvas. He did not answer her question, so she spoke further, "You can't explain it? Then, do you enjoy hurting others?"

He snapped around and caught her wrist then prepared to crush it, his grip was slowly tightening. "Let me enjoy breaking you apart." Yes, he was able to gather enough strength to move, but it was difficult to keep it at that. He gazed at her totality, petite and she looked fragile, but all the same it was lovely. Yet he won't simply forgive her trespassing.

She was going too far; just because he let her touch him, she can pry him open. However she smiled and he saw his eyes reflected in hers, along with the emotions it contained. "Why? Why do you hide behind that shell?" Innocent was she but he knew every person must hide something inside of them. She's not an exception.

He pulled her closer and he, being sexually repressed, pressed his body against hers then whispered near her ear, "Do you want to know? I'll give you a clue."

She whimpered as he bit her neck's base, prompting her to resist. She tried her best to get away but his arms that were locked around her body made escape impossible.

"Are you afraid?" he asked yet her struggle died down. "Hn"

Her hand was placed on his chest directly over his heart, accidentally. Then she asked, "Is this… a real heart?" She was fascinated and put both of her hands together trying to feel its beat, she has forgotten what Hibari was about to do to her.

It was a very trivial thing, and it frustrated him as to why her actions were like that. He knew that even though he didn't have feelings, he still needed a heart to live. Doesn't she have that organ?

Unsatisfied as she was, she placed an ear over his chest then closed her eyes to listen to its rhythm. There it was again, that familiar sensation that he has been feeling every time he came into contact with her. His mind reeled at its strengthened attack, all of his senses were dying out and he was getting weaker. But he did not let go, it was too pleasurable to detach his self.

"No more…" he hissed while looking at the ceiling. He felt her hands hold his face and he wanted to swat her off but he can't take his arms away from her body. "What are you, a witch?" he accused.

She pulled his face down to meet him eye to eye, "I am I-pin." Her fascination now fell to his lips, so she moved closer and to his surprise, he leaned forward as well until their lips caught each other for a real kiss. Then and there he felt the urge to ravage her lips and her whole body. Whatever the heck was going on, he was having heavenly bliss that he had never felt before in his entire life…

He woke up rather violently and found himself on the floor. He looked around and found that he was in his apartment, near the front door. Standing up, he dashed towards his living room, and found no one. Next, he busted into his room, still no one was there. He was dumbstruck for a moment.

He felt his hunger and his stomach grumbled; déjà vu brought him back to Earth. He pushed himself to look outside, opened the door to peek at his doorstep but the girl wasn't there. Was it all just a dream?

"Just a dream," he said, fairly disappointed for he can't remember her name when he can almost see his dream crystal-clear.

End.

**Random Ending Thoughts:** Hm, I think I like how I wrote this one, for me it's professionally done. Correct me if I'm wrong though. D:

This will be a mini-series under the Random Thoughts for now, and I really like it! I've been thinking of this for a while now. Those who want this as an independent and separate story, just tell me.

Hibari awakes from a vivid and lucid dream, and is disoriented for a bit. Just like him, have you ever woken up in your sleep but you were still inside your dream? Then you wake up for the second time and relieved to find that you're back in the reality of the world? It's a strange phenomenon, and scary too!

Please leave a review for me to read.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!"

*A note for AI (the anonymous reviewer): About the last chapter, I-pin told Hibari that she hated him because he left for Italy and didn't even say if he's coming back or what. Hibari replied that it was better that way (that I-pin hated him) since he knows that the Chinese loves him after all he has done to her. But as Bianchi said, love is the strongest force in this world, so she'd rather love him more than the way she hates him. It's just an argument that follows from Machiavelli's statement "It's better to be hated than to be loved if not both." It is of the form "If you're both loved and hated, then you'd rather be loved than to be hated." I'm not making anything clear, am I?

Aside from that, I also wanted it to imply that she's telling Hibari to try and feel something, and have emotions to _become human_.

A paradox:

~ If God can do anything, can he create a boulder so heavy he can't lift it? ~


	7. We Live Our Lives On Different Sides 2

**Author Ramblings: **K-san is here! Grapes, grapes… LOL, anyway I thought of finishing this mini-series first before I add more Random Thoughts since everybody will be confused from constant jumping of the unrelated ficlets. After it is completed I will separate it!

Anybody can replace I-pin in Hibari's dreams and then I thought of Mukuro being the replacement… Then that would result to the destruction of Hibari's psyche, so I deleted the thought. XD

I do not own "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!"

**WARNING: Rated M for graphic sex; you can't skip it since it's interlaced with the conversation, sorry.**

* * *

**We Live Our Lives on Different Sides**

~The Haunt Continues~

He looked at the time on his phone and found that approximately twenty minutes had passed since he arrived at home. He didn't even remember that he had fallen asleep when he fell on the floor. Releasing the thought, he decided to check the fridge but changed his mind when he remembered from his dream that he didn't have anything left to eat. So he went outside to have his meal.

Hibari woke up the next morning without any weird dreams from his slumber. He was glad for he didn't need anything worthless yet bothering things. He then got out of bed and prepared to go and attend his classes, since the weak herbivore bugged him to death to have at least a normal life to cover his Mafioso status.

Just outside his apartment was Kusakabe, waiting for him. Hibari passed by the said man and continued to walk with his hands in his pockets and his back in a slouch while the other followed his tracks.

The same thing happened everyday, and he was getting tired of it. Herbivores had the annoying disability to see how their entire life was so routinely, in Hibari's opinion that is. They, always forming crowds, sometimes forgot what kind of discipline _he_ had imposed and they had never learned what had to be _memorized_. And such a weak act they showed him, crowding; he didn't see the point as to why they want to blend in. He smiled inwardly as he reminded himself that camouflage is the best strategy for the feeble

"Part." He ordered under his breath, and such an inaudible sound was heard amidst the noise. The weaklings looked horrified when they saw the prefect head who has been a prefect head ever since middle school. Even in college, he made sure that he was in charge.

In connection, everybody wondered how he entered college even though he was a delinquent; some thought that he harassed the teachers so they would let him pass, and any action with _the use of force_ was a logical reason for them. Hibari had heard the rumors first-hand, even beat up some loosed-lips, but he ended up ignoring them after growing tired of their consistent gossip-making.

At any rate, he walked through the path that the crowd gave him when it divided, and kept his sight before him, only looked sideways when somebody spoke audaciously in his presence. It was a good thing that the reception room was empty when he arrived (those herbivores stress him!) and he went straight to his table and pulled the swivel chair to sit on it. He still had a lot of time before his first class, so he closed his eyelids and decided to take a catnap…

A book being closed then opened prompted him to open his eyes. He looked around and he was still in the reception room. Sweeping the room with his eyes for the one who woke him up, he swore that he was going to kill the culprit, but found no one. He raised his head, which formerly lay on the desk, and glanced at the clock mounted on the wall, two minutes had passed since he took his seat.

Then the sound of pages continuously being flipped made itself clear to him. It came from his back and it went on.

"Why?" the familiar voice sent chills down his spine and he turned calmly to see the visage of a girl who held a book whose pages she continued to flip. Her braids fell over her shoulders that framed her beautiful neck which had a bite mark, her beautiful eyes sparkling in the shadow that was created by the light behind her.

He wondered why he didn't feel the girl enter the room and it frustrated him. With a loud thud, the book fell on the floor as she let it go to hold his face with the both of her hands. His private space was being invaded by the person in front of him and her actions worsened his insecurity.

In addition, the paralyzing current was present, making him close his eyes as a flinching reaction. Hibari wasn't stupid; he knew that the electricity arose from their contact but what he was unsure of if the witch was using it _to inflict mental damage_ upon him.

She let go of him after putting so much attention on his nose (he felt her staring at his nose for some unknown reason and she stroked it with a finger), and sat beside him on the tabletop while she spoke, "Why do you hate crowds?"

He answered with a question, "And why do you keep on bothering me?" It infuriated him more when she giggled at his reaction, yet he did not take any move to seize such mockery. The killing intent he had a few seconds ago dissolved as well, to which he was confused and felt how much of an _incompetent _fool he was.

"I am not bothering you," she paused as she opened the book she held before and then continued, "You simply wanted to talk to me."

In his seat he shifted to look at the book she held for he believed that the object fell on the floor a few moments ago and he doesn't remember her picking it up. His eyes narrowed and in a flash, he had her down on the table with his hand firmly holding her neck in place.

"You—" he began but a wave of energy travelled from their interface up to his arm and into his head. It shook his insides and he slowly let go of her neck then both of his hands craned his body over hers. "Who… are you?" he said weakly and his eyes peered through his hair that fell over them.

"I told you before haven't I?" she said while supporting her body with elbows that pressed against the wooden surface. "So tell me, why do you hate crowds?" At her question, he pulled back, and retreated until he leaned on the windowpane behind him.

A throb and it caused him to place a palm over his temples, _his thirst for_ killing the girl intensified though it quickly died, yet again. "A _crowd_ is similar to a herd…" he found himself explaining, "_Herbivores_ form herds so as to keep themselves safe from predators that lurk near them." He let his hand fall on his side as he kept a watchful eye on the girl that sat on his desk; the residue insensitivity of his nerves had passed.

"It's what weaklings do," he shook his head slightly, "and I'm not one of those _mediocre fools_." To him, his tongue continuously without control and it perturbed him for he let his control slip.

"Really?" she asked with pure innocence then rebutted, "But there's one that leads them," she stood up and approached him, but kept a safe distance for him and for herself, "the Alpha-male or the Alpha-female." and to that he gave her a sharp glower. She continued despite his actions, and it appeared to him that she knew that his craving for violence would go away.

"_They_ too _are_ herbivores, leading _others_ as their roles." She took her eyes from him and flipped open the book as if reading a specific page. "Aren't you the same?"

There was no way that he was going to let that pass and he wished that his violent nature won't go away that time so he could destroy her for sure. And it did not disappear indeed; he pushed her down on the floor then mounted her, but had another idea rather than kill her.

"I," he swallowed, "am not trying _to hide_." He bowed and his hair fell over his eyes though he still looked at her form that was under his _superiority_. She had both of her arms folded and tucked near her chest and both of her hands were over her breasts. He noticed the mark that he left on her neck, and he pulled on her wrists to spread her arms on her sides. The book had disappeared.

"Those which you call alpha-herbivores cannot go beyond their herd because doing so will prove them weak." He spoke as he closed the distance between their faces until he can feel her breathing on his skin and he was beginning to enjoy the current running through their bodies, and _he_ had a wicked smile on his face. "Staying with their crowd gives them the idea of being the strongest," however, she was the one who finished the sentence,

"Though it is the contrary," she spoke with a moan escaping her lips as Hibari started kissing her neck. "But you are similar." Then, not a moan escaped her lips upon her words but a cry for he bit her just like a lion would to kill a gazelle.

"I remembered your name," he said as he tore her dress that covered her chest, revealing beautifully rounded breasts (mouthing a wao at the sight) that he took hold of, and went on as another moan broke out of her throat, "It's I-pin, wasn't it?"

She nodded and he knew there was a smile behind the hand that covered her mouth. Truly, this girl interested him in a lot of ways; her body, her persistence and her submission were few of the things he liked most. How come she _could satisfy_ him with everything that she is?

Not caging his desires, he picked her up with both his arms that encircled the small of her waist and her body limply rested on his when he sat up from their position. He ordered her to straddle him, and returned to their topic that was left hanging, "I am different." He said as he nuzzled her neck and prepared to enter her, for his shaft hardened.

She pulled away to see his face, and smiled at him yet another yelp fled from her as he forcefully entered. Moving her hips, she spoke in between moans, "_What kind of_ difference do you make?" her hands clenched on his shoulders, almost ripping off his clothes at the satisfaction they both gave each other. A roar rumbled in his throat at her insolence, shoving her on the floor, raised her legs and began thrusting away; he hated it when he's not on top.

He was catching his breath as he spoke, "I do not have those fucking emotions." That was the difference. He placed his hand beside her head only to find the book under his palm; he groaned. Then he noticed the connecting current suddenly getting stronger and he knew what was coming next. 'Oh fuck.' They reached the climax of their union, although she had a frown on her face as it passed.

"And that is what makes you stronger…" she spoke with a shaky voice with tears welling in her eyes, "that is what you think." The tingling sensation remained on his skin even after her hand had left his face.

What was she thinking? Of course that is what he thought and believed; there was proof that he is a lot stronger because of his lack of emotions. There was no doubt. He smirked at their exchange; such trivial matters don't even need be brought up.

"Or you just don't want to talk about them because you are confused yourself?" she said and he punched her face out of anger. Licking the blood that smeared the corner of her lips, her following statement made his hair stand on its ends, "You are sad, too sad. But you choose to wallow in your own depression…"

The book that was beside her head was open and anger was the first word on its page. And the clock on the wall showed that only two minutes had passed after he sat on his chair.

"What am I to you?" were her last words as her head lolled to the side _so that_ she faced the book of his doubt…

Steely dark-blue eyes shot open, and he quickly glanced up at the clock and saw that thirty-five minutes went by during his sleep. With his body still feeling exhausted, he sat against his chair and looked at the ceiling; he had a crazy dream that was more than satisfying.

He thought about what the girl's name was for he had forgotten once more, altogether chewing _on_ what difference he made with those herbivores.

He is not weak, not emotional and does not need help from anybody, whether they are strong or weak, and most of all he is above everybody else. _And_ in order for him to be superior, he had _to separate himself from those who are _not capable of seeing the truth that emotions are useless.

Also,_ he begged to differ…_

Days had passed since then, and no such dreams plagued him in his sleep. He did not know if he should be sad or be happy or both; happy for not dreaming of her and sad for the same reason, though he doesn't know the difference considering the fact that he had thrown his feelings away. Nothing is left but a cold-hearted head prefect, somebody who did not want to be passive. Yet he has his own doubts…

To be continued…

* * *

Yay! And that's done! I'm starting to like this idea of mine, haven't been putting effort to create serious plots for a while so this is the drain and I expect it to be great! TO THE EXTREME!

If you were curious about the italicized words above, the sentences below consists of all those words:

**Herbivores** **crowd** **to hide** **what kind of** **incompetent** **fools** **they are**.

**He** **memorized the use of force to inflict mental damage** **on** **others** **so that** **he** **could satisfy his** **thirst** **for** **superiority** **and to separate himself from those who are** **mediocre. **

**He begged to differ.**

I don't know if the three are coherent but they give a brief summary of the whole chapter, which is cool. It wasn't intentional at first but then I noticed as I went on writing. And I forgot that "I'll bite you to death" is not the only memorable quote from Kyo-san; don't forget "Wao." XD Also, follow Hibari Kyoya as he connects the dots provided by his dreams next chapter! Thanks for reading and please leave a review!

A paradox:

~ If God can do anything, can he create a boulder so heavy he can't lift it? ~


	8. We Live Our Lives On Different Sides 3

**Author Ramblings:** Kufufu~ Hello! Thanks to all my readers, I hope all of you guys review a story simultaneously. That'd definitely give this collection a boost (and my ego too). And I was waiting to reach five reviews for the last chap and I received the fifth one the other day. At least five reviews per chap is more than enough. :)

And sorry for the very late update, I am guilty and will not lay out any excuses. By the way, I had just realized that HibaPin wasn't so canon after all (correct me otherwise).

And to AI: please, only God deserves to be worshipped and I am nothing compared to him (not that I'm religious), I'm just another human being. :D And yes, I'm still alive. You should make an account so we can talk properly. And I'll be removing you're last review, you can just email me. I think my email add is in my profile here in FFdotnet.

I do not own "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!" Though I'm still thinking of making I-pin the Tenth Generation Vongole boss…

**WARNING: It is T-rated now with minor violence and this chap has a guest star! To those who skipped reading the previous chapter, you can read this without a problem; I think it's easy to follow.**

_Hibari haven't been dreaming of the girl for the past few days and to that he is glad. The last dream's topic is about doubt and crowds, how petty it is for him. But she asks him a very important question to his being: what difference did he make with those herbivores? He contemplates on that and says that he does not have emotions and this makes him stronger. No doubt lace his answer, yet his disappointment of not dreaming of her is evident…_

**We Live Our Lives on Different Sides**

~Anger is also an Emotion~

Pineapple wasn't one of his favorites. Being a carnivore that he is, he didn't like fruit nor anything herbivores eat, furthermore seeing one in the meeting a few hours back made his blood boil, though it wasn't the pineapple that he disliked the most. But still, seeing anything that can be attributed to it made him livid…

In the halls of the headquarters he sauntered in silence then heard giggles of children out of the blue. Two kids neared him, both of them running; in front was a boy who wore an afro, followed by a girl. The boy passed by, and Hibari narrowed his eyes at the noise yet did not do anything to shut the kid up for he thought it would be a waste of energy.

Something crashed against him, followed by a crisp thud that resounded in the air. Looking down, he met the girl's stare; had he been deep in his thought that he did not realize that he felled her? Hence, realizing it at his fault, his hands picked the girl up to let her stand on her feet, her familiar Chinese features brought out the kindness Hibari had. His clothes ruffled gently as he straightened to continue on his way and heard a word of thanks that was muffled by the clip-clopping of his shoes…

The part of the Foundation that is connected to the main headquarters was still meters away as he made a beeline towards the said place. On his path, he heard laughing and jeering, getting louder as he approached a certain room. The door to that room was open, clear was his sight of the interior when he passed by and so was the loud voice of one of the people in the room, and that prompted him to slow down.

"Gokudera-kun! Don't!" he heard Tsuna screech yet the other one in the conversation spoke further, "Oh come on! Is this something that bastard can't handle? Or maybe he's too weak?"

Hibari knew well that it was he who was the target of the exchange. Right; Hibari heard that right and he's not some kind of weakling like them but if he took the bait, it would mean that he was intimidated by what the Storm Guardian had said.

So he went on yet a different voice called to him, that time it was the Rain Guardian, making him turn. The latter asked him to join their get-together and since it was a formal invitation, Hibari agreed. In addition, he can prove that Smoking Bomb Gokudera was mistaken and that he, the Cloud Guardian, was indeed the strongest in every aspect.

The two guardians entered the room, inducing another shrilly shriek from Tsuna to which the Cloud Guardian scowls, Yamamoto laughs nevertheless.

"That was so girly, Tsuna." Yamamoto's face contorted to that of a more serious one after seeing discomfort on the former's face, "Anyway, doesn't he have the right to join us? He is a guardian as well."

All of them could only sigh in defeat as Yamamoto had a smile plastered on his face that was just too sincere. Taking the silence as a yes, Yamamoto sat on one of the chairs around the table. Hibari picked a seat for himself as well, careful not to be too close or be branded a herbivore.

A bottle of vodka held a place in Gokudera's hand and he was the one to break the silence that dominated the room. "Who wants to go against me?" He gave a smirk towards Hibari's direction, after all he knew what kind of alcohol tolerance the Cloud Guardian had, crappy. He continued on studying his enemies; Sasagawa Ryohei was there too.

Whatever kind of challenge it was remained very pathetic to the prefect; an opportunity is an opportunity and he planned on making the best of it.

Nobody spoke, just a quiet agreement between men, and so, the Storm Guardian happily poured the alcohol into the others' cups. He was confident that he'd be the winner as he scanned his opponents…

Tsuna was down after a number of shots; he said something about his stomach turning as he left. Gokudera laughed inside—one down—though he was worried about his boss at the same time. He wondered when he would defeat the strongest guardian of the Tenth family.

This makes one wonder why the heck he's challenging every guardian, even Tsuna, to a drinking contest. It turns out that Gokudera is one insecure fellow, as he was getting left behind by the others.

He wasn't satisfied after knowing that he couldn't have a chance at going against Mukuro, but it would suffice to defeat Hibari nonetheless, as the said man is ranked strongest among the guardians of the Vongole family. Even so, the word _strongest_ is relative, and he wanted to show them that he's better at something at the very least.

At any rate, Hibari downed another jigger of vodka and felt the liquid warm his insides as it went down his throat. He had lost count of how many he had taken, he only knew that the loud Sun guardian was already out and so was the Rain; they said that alcohol wasn't beneficial for both of them. As if it was beneficial to anybody.

He glared at the solitary man in front of him and gestured another round of the alcohol be poured; he was determined to prove that his title didn't only apply to brute strength.

Gokudera grunted as they raised both their glasses. They smirked; the two thought that it was the end of their glorious bout. Hibari, on one hand, gulped it down quickly and brought the glass down on the table with a _thump_, Gokudera did the same yet at a slower pace on the other.

Victory was at hand, Hibari's hand.

The Guardian of the Cloud left the room moreover Gokudera was sprawled over the table murmuring inaudible sounds and his face a crimson red from drunkenness. The former was now out in the halls with wobbly legs and a spinning sight, murmuring something with a very deep slur, "I… am alwaysh… on… top!"

After his declaration of superiority and some buckling on his knees, the floor welcomed him with a very _hard_ caress…

"Hello!"

'Hn', Hibari stirred in his bed as he heard another hello. He thought if he was on the phone but no, he wasn't and so he shifted again. A groan escaped his lips as the calling did not stop, making him sit up abruptly and growl: "I'm trying to sleep, damn it!"

"Oh good, you're awake." A voice said.

He turned to his left to see who spoke but there was no one and he was getting angrier by the moment. In a sudden motion, he felt his face being turned by somebody else, and at the end of its turn, he saw what he detested the most.

A lovely sight of Sakura trees appeared around him all of a sudden, and with that he felt all of his strength melt under him, and a loud, eerie chuckle pervaded his ears. With the thumb of the hand that held his chin, his cheek met gentle circular motions yet in a blink of an eye the same hand had struck him like a sledge hammer.

"Good morning, Hibari Kyoya. I bet that woke you up."

Oh sure it did, Hibari felt his blood rush in his veins as well as anger accumulate in him, even partially removed the head ache he suffered from his hang-over. Hibari mustered his strength to throw an insult at his assailant, "Fuck off, Rokudo Mukuro. Don't you have something else to do in your life, pineapple?" Another hit landed on Hibari's face, further strengthening the pain he felt from his headache, he can't do anything about it however. "Hn. I'll make damn sure to shove my tonfa down your throat later to shut you up, gay fruit."

And the other quickly retaliated, "Look who's talking? Aren't you a bit chatty today? And how come you still have the guts to speak like that, hm?" Mukuro spoke as his face hovered over Hibari's, it was too close for comfort and if the Cloud Guardian could move his arms, he could have repaid the other guardian triple of what he received from the recent blows. "I wonder how you deal with him."

His uneasiness faltered as Mukuro retreated to look past him, followed by a fluid motion of placing both hands on the hips. It made Hibari wonder what the fruit was talking about and to whom he was talking to. When he felt something weigh against his side, opposite of the Mist Guardian, was the time he made certain what Mukuro's words meant.

The Mist Guardian was about to speak but he suddenly fell backward with a tonfa's end stuck in his mouth. How filthy its taste was, was reserved only for him and Hibari presented a smirk on his face for that very moment, yet it quickly disappeared along with the image of his enemy. 'An illusion…' Standing up, he thought of many different ways of getting even, getting the upper hand maybe, with the mirage user.

Another weird laugh resurfaced from the silence of the room, and according to Hibari's calculation, it came from behind him. His eyes narrowed upon seeing the blue-haired man's hand holding a familiar girl's neck. It's been a while since he last saw her and her eyes looked devoid of emotions that time around.

Mukuro cackled once more and Hibari couldn't tolerate himself from hissing under his breath. 'He really should stop doing that, it creeps me out,' was what the prefect had in mind, he kept a watchful eye on the illusionist while mentally preoccupied nonetheless.

"Let's see… What should I do next?" Mukuro thought for a moment then piped up. "I know. Let's play a game-,"

"I don't have time to be playing with the likes of-" then a whimper from the girl interjected him as he interrupted Mukuro before, although the whimper had a hard time escaping her lips as it was stuck in her crushed throat.

"That was just the beginning…" graced was Mukuro's lips with a sadistic smile as his hand began to wander on the girl's body. "What? Are you just going to stare like that, hm? Or are you enjoying this rather?"

Instead of doing something for the poor girl, Hibari only sneered at what poor attempt the Mist Guardian was doing to fool with him. "I'm not a fan of whatever you're trying to do," his eyes shifted to the girl, "Get out of here."

Different-colored eyes narrowed then the sound of fist colliding upon flesh was heard; a loud crash echoed afterwards. The girl was on the floor, with a blood-smeared face, and not a groan had fled from her nor did she pose any resistance, and it made Rokudo Mukuro more infuriated.

"You are worthless," he said as he motioned over the girl to pick her up by the collar of her shirt, speaking further without a side glance, "Aren't you going to do something?" His eyes slowly slid to its corners, "Don't you care about this girl? Do you not fancy her?" He pulled the girl like she was some dog on a leash, her body grazing the carpeted floor. "More than that, don't my actions anger you?"

Whatever his enemy said made Hibari move toward them, moved as if he was being pulled by invisible strings. He took small and slow steps, all the while thought to his self, 'Fancy? Anger?' He saw the girl's eyes light up with every step he made; with every centimeter that he traversed she became more spirited. 'Who is she anyway?' his mind continued to rant at him, and names seemed to flood into his head as he tried to remember the girl's name. 'How many times has she told me her name?'

"I certainly can't recall," Hibari blurted out in mid-step, followed by Mukuro's fist being raised to deliver another blow at the young girl's face.

Everything became slow, and the girl closed her eyes to await the deadly blow poised to bring her doom, yet nothing came to end her wait. Her eyelids fluttered open only to lay her orbs on the sight that Hibari had caught Mukuro's fist with his hand, the other held a tonfa lurking at the illusionist's neck.

"Why you—" the blue-haired man roared yet was kept at bay by the Cloud Guardian's expression—the real face of apathy with no remains of anger or what so ever.

"Disappear," with a very calm voice Hibari ordered that impelled a hot counter from the other man,

"You… will never get rid of me." His image slowly turned to dust, little by little his whole body disintegrated. "I am your strongest emotion after all…" and he disappeared finally.

The president of the Foundation stared a little more where his arch enemy once stood, with an expression on his face that said 'Emotion? Don't screw around.' With that over, he turned to see the girl, her eyes had more life in them, and the blood on her face suited her image.

He straightened whilst his gaze not parting from the girl's façade. "Why did you let him hit your face? Why didn't you fight back?" yet she did not answer and his patience grew thinner at the stubbornness she presented to him. Watching her wipe away the blood on her cheek, "You're strong… for a female that is." There were only a handful of people that Hibari Kyoya noted for their strength, and the girl being praised for such must possess power beyond normal limits.

Hibari was actually surprised when he saw the girl open her mouth to speak, but words did not emerge from her lips. Only until after a few moments did she verbalize what she carefully thought of, "I'm not." She held her intent gaze onto his, her brown eyes bore holes onto him, "I can't even make you realize I'm here."

"Hn?" A surge of doubt quickly crept in him; pinpricks resulted from his sudden surge of thoughts from her words. Not only that, the fact that she held his face between her palms added to his insecurity, and the tonfa that he held in one hand had been replaced by a hardbound book.

"It's been a while?" it came out of him as a question since he did not know how to phrase whatever he wanted to say. It had been indeed a while that he felt the current that ran through their bodies. Although he did not enjoy it at that moment, more like he was trying his best to seize their connection yet he couldn't bring himself to move a finger.

That same feeling sent shivers down his spine as she traced his skin with her nimble fingers. He swore that it would only take a little longer and decided to endure it; it will end for it is just a _dream_ after all. Her words parted him from his reverie,

"I just… What makes it so hard to accept them?" There was a pause then she continued to speak with a shaky voice, "Why do you keep on denying them?" her index finger pressed hard against his sternum as she continued, "They are there but you don't want to use them."

Her being hell bent to make him realize and accept his emotions pissed him and he didn't have time for such conversations with her; it was just a repeat of a recent argument. They continued to gawk at each other for a while and being crowded wasn't his liking.

"What? Are you going to tell me that I'm just confused or are we going to continue this pointless argument?" He was brimming with annoyance yet she did nothing but to aggravate the situation. Really, how he wished the damned dream was over so he can get on with his life.

"Nobody can be emotionless," it left her lips in a sort of a positive manner but her face betrayed any optimistic mood. "Anger and fear… they're primitive emotions and you can't even restrain them whilst you claim you're not human." Being emotionless is similar to being a mosca; not human, just a heap of cold steel.

Surprise, another emotion became evident in his body and he shuddered as his head processed everything. She took that chance to drill more mind-boggling things into the disciplinarian's head.

"Now I am here yet I am nothing, the nothingness in your heart is me…" her voice cracked and her tears began to flow down her cheeks. There was no way he was going to let things go further and he planned it to be over. He will not let a thing such as nightmares diminish his productivity.

"Maybe I do have emotions," Hibari said and she was about to smile when he went on, "But I'm not that low to be swayed by them." It seemed her attempts at debunking everything that Hibari believed in failed once more, prompting her to let go of him to stand a few paces away.

He raised the book that he held, its hard cover rigid against his touch, and browsed it. Nothing was written on its first pages and it took many pages before he can find something. Anger and fear was written sloppily on the single paper that had something on it. Ripping it from the book, he proceeded to tear it in front of her after he mercilessly let the book plop to the floor.

Pieces of torn paper floated and drifted in the air as he took his tonfas into his hands, ready to deliver judgment upon those who violated his authority. Her tears fell faster and stronger, and the sight made Hibari wince at such weakness. "Anything else before this dream ends?" poised was he to deliver a swift blow on her frail body though he waited for her to say her final goodbyes.

However, instead of submitting to him she made a futile effort of retaliation, "Why are you so afraid?" end of line, that was the last drop of patience he had. His agile feet brought him right in front of her in a blink of an eye and his weapon like an eagle's talon aimed at its prey. There was no way he was going to miss his mark. Yet he was pushed back by a sudden thrust of an object that came from behind her.

A spear, no, it was a trident; a trident so familiar its visage made him scowl. He again heard Rukudo's voice through his only sense that was working perfectly, for his sight was darkening and his touch was wracked by pain. "Don't forget I'm still here."

Hibari tried his best to keep his eyes open, his vision showed him her saddened face and her eyes were closed in a solemn manner, whereas the other man had a maniacal smile playing on his lips…

He felt his soul rouse inside him and he was quite glad he was back in the real world. His sight, blurry as it was, revealed to him that same stark ceiling of the hallway that he was pacing through a while ago, for how long past he did not know. Hence, he stood up when he remembered the task that he was supposed to complete before he fainted from drunkenness.

Thinking back to the words of the girl in his dream, despite the fact that his head pulsed like his heart, then and there, a weird knotting feeling formed in his stomach; if it was because of his hangover, he could not understand. Why it was there and why it competed against his head for his attention worsened his state of vulnerability, exactly what he needed, insert sarcasm there.

A stack of paper caught his attention as he successfully arrived at his office without further injury (he was a little bruised on the cheek that resulted from his contact with the concrete floor). He limped to his chair, sat down and rummaged through his desk to find a pen.

Kusakabe entered the room after a few hours and saw him, still working. The vice president was getting worried for his superior was really working hard instead of lazing around. It was a miracle.

He finally snapped out of his contemplation and walked towards his desk to place a folder containing reports from the recent researches that the Foundation was established for. "More work for you, Kyo-san." Yet no words were spoken by his superior, so he left while speaking words that Hibari did not want to concentrate on.

_Why are you so afraid?_

He was never afraid of anything, even death does not appeal to him in any manner similar to fright. But why wasn't he trying to rest when he knew that he needed it? How come he pushes himself despite the weakness of his body?

_They are there but you don't want to use them._

_I am your strongest emotion after all…_

"You should sleep," Kusakabe's words echoed in his mind, "You look too groggy to work."

_Why are you so afraid?_

They were just dreams and they were not real. He knew that all he saw was just a representation of his thoughts. Yet how come he was avoiding sleep? Did he actually fear his dreams?

Before he lost tact, he shoved his papers aside and let his throbbing head slump on the desk. Running away wasn't his best ability and he'd rather die than do it; besides, his brain could no longer withstand the spinning images his eyes sent it. His eyelids slowly fell to cover his steely blue eyes as he delved into slumber.

He will never be defeated and if he was, he will never accept such a disgrace…

_To be continued._

**Not So Random Ending Rambles:** The I-pin Hibari saw in the headquarters is roughly nine years old. And to those who are also Bleach fans, am I the only one thinking that HibaPin is like UlquiHime? I always end up liking impossible pairings, unless Kubo decides to return Ulquiorra, and Amano decides to make HibaPin canon. Anyway, sorry for rambling like that… It's just… It's so unfair… *cries in the EMO corner*

So okay, I owe everybody a lot. I'm still debating with myself if I should tell you some petty excuse… but I was busy the past month because of exams; I'm supposed to graduate this academic year. I'm going crazy because my professor is driving me insane with Topology shit! XD

Composition sucked again, I'm having problem with my tenses. Also, I was wondering if the story was getting a bit too predictable too… Awawawawawawah… Dunno if Hibari ever called Mukuro pineapple though. XD And guess who's going to be the guest star next chapter!

A paradox:

~ If God can do anything, can he create a boulder so heavy he can't lift it? ~


	9. We Live Our Lives On Different Sides 4

Author Notes: Hi! It's been a while I know, but I'm here for a new installment so I hope that I'm off the hook. I'm really excited because some had misunderstood what Mukuro's role was. Please read on to clear out some doubts and try understanding the roots of his actions and his main behavior. AI-san you'd better do. And I'm not going to include pride since I don't think it's an emotion. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!

**WARNING: There's nothing to be warned about, actually. Just that this chapter may be a bit confusing if you didn't understand the previous chapter.**

_Mukuro appeared in Hibari's dreams for an unknown reason but before disappearing, he said that he was his strongest emotion. Then, the Cloud Guardian spoke of the existence of his emotions, that they were dormant and unused for he had no reason to need them. Despite the acceptance, there was something else that bothered him…_

**We Live Our Lives on Different Sides**

~What Ails You Most~

Hibari was a light sleeper and Kusakabe knew that no matter how muted sounds were, his boss ends up being awoken. The pompadour was broken for he did not want to disturb the Cloud Guardian's sleep but he really needed to fetch a paper that was sent by the Tenth Vongole which was supposed to have been viewed and signed.

So, the door cracked open and Kusakabe's funky-haired head poked into the room. Survey says that Hibari Kyoya was not even affected! 'Okay, that was weird…' was the thought of the vice-president as he strode as silently as he could through the carpeted floor.

At the table side, a tower of stacked papers hid Hibari from Kusakabe's view; the former's head slumped on the hard surface of the table amidst the work that needed to be finished. Kusakabe began to rummage through the documents looking for something while he spared a glance at the president, 'The drinking session they had knocked him really hard.' yet Kusakabe's brow cannot help but scrunch up in the middle…

He didn't understand the reason behind his dreams, being haunted by such visions was alarming. Though he did not have any problem understanding the profoundness of his dreams per se, the timing of his dreams was what bothered him. How many times it had happened alongside the invoking of his dormant emotions that he had learned to associate them. Likewise thoughts circled his mind as some light and noise stirred his soul into awakening.

His eyes slowly opened and he found himself standing while he slept. What's more is that he awoke in a place where annoying fruits are and this is what he hated the most. Add into the equation that fruits can be talkative drove him insane. What else can go wrong?

Rokudo faced him with a half-sour face, of course with a pinch of disdain in his features, and he began to speak, "Oh you're back," a laugh, "Let's continue the party!"

With a spear in hand, the illusionist lunged at Hibari for a first strike, then a second and then a third and more blurry swipes met him head on but all did not hit the target, ripping the air instead.

Hibari caught the trident under his hand by parrying the last attack, and sent Mukuro to the ground by a quick swing of his other arm. He stepped over his fallen enemy and grabbed him by the collar, sending three more quick right-straight's into the pineapple's face. "Nice party you have here."

"I don't think so," Mukuro still with a smug face, "She hasn't arrived; this isn't the real party…" Then two more bodies materialized in the room, a male with untamed brown hair and a female with a wide forehead. "Yet."

Beautiful brown eyes widened with fear and the new character spoke with a choked voice "HieEeE! H-Hibari and Muku-Mukuro!" He quickly backed off behind the unsurprised female, his trembling very evident.

~Kufufufu, was his trademark chuckle, "I'm glad you could make it Sawada Tsunayoshi," Mukuro spoke after he disappeared once again from Hibari's grasp then reappeared a distance away. However, Mukuro's flashy tricks couldn't take away the carnivore's glare at his prey.

"You," Hibari said with a slight cock of his head towards the girl's direction, "Tell me what all of this is about." He reassured the girl by his body language that he was not angry, only eager to get some answers, and he waited for an explanation all the while being keenly aware of his surroundings.

Tsuna, aka herbivore, whined a lot which made Hibari's head whirl out of annoyance but the Cloud Guardian would not want his prey be the unwanted outlet of his apparent emotion. So he glowered at Sawada with all of his pent up annoyance to return at his object of affection with a perfectly calm face. Her hair wasn't braided and it surprised him that it was straight for he anticipated it to be somewhat wavy from the braids. But whatever shape it took didn't matter; she was appealing no matter what. At that, Mukuro sighed; he had realized the fun would have to wait later.

She was happier than usual and Hibari can't help but soften up. "The answers are within you." She answered calmly as she paced towards a solitary chair that wasn't in the room before. "You need only ask the right questions." She smiled oh-so-cheerfully as she placed a hand on the rest of the chair whereas Mukuro approached the object as well.

"Why is he here? Why are they here?" Hibari noted the Mist Guardians movement by the corner of his eye, keeping tabs on the Tenth Vongole at the same time (though he considered him as little to no risk).

With a grunt, Mukuro asked Hibari if he owned the damned space and it resulted to another wave of sparks to fly in the air whilst Tsuna screeched like a girl once more. But no fight arose; the Cloud Guardian has a more important objective to fulfill.

Yet, Hibari kept on analyzing the whole scenario, with Mukuro presenting a big danger. Caution resided in him and he also looked out for the possibility that a wrong question may have undesirable outcomes. He knew that injuries wouldn't hurt that much but he wanted to wake up clean and refreshed so he thought very carefully about the _right questions_.

Still, he couldn't stop his curiosity from getting the best of him, "What will happen if I asked you the right question?" he shook his head for that was the stupidest thing he said in his whole life. It would have made more sense if he asked what would happen if he asked the _wrong_ one.

Nevertheless, she did not laugh nor make fun of him, only answered that he will hear the answer to the question and that answer will satisfy him very well. Other things began to slowly disappear from his mind's eye as he concentrated on what he should say.

Her smile widened more as she stood beside the illusionist with her hand still on the chair and her grip was tightening, Hibari could see. He could see that she was getting excited as she chewed on her lower lip.

Yet another sigh from him, "Why are you so excited?" Hibari asked bluntly, and then he noticed what Tsuna was doing for Mukuro—being a footstool.

"It's because you're getting to know who I am," she giggled, subsequently clasping her hands together, "and who they are." In the background, Mukuro scolded Tsuna for being a lousy footstool, of course in his fashion, and ordered the coward to straighten his back more. Other senseless arguments were heard from the two as Hibari wondered what the girl meant.

He narrowed his eyes, was it another trick question? "That guy is Rokudo Mukuro and the other is Sawada Tsunayoshi if I'm not mistaken." The attention of those who were mentioned turned toward him upon the call of their names and Mukuro's smirk didn't pass unnoticed. This caused him to feel the same sensations again, the tingling at the tips of his fingers and the itch to punch the man on the face, it was anger he recalled. And to this, the small smile at Mukuro's lips became a maniacal grin. He hated mind games even though he wasn't mentally challenged, and it was adding fuel to the fire.

Shifting to the person who knelt with his head low and his hands supporting his weight, Hibari wondered why Tsuna would not fight back when he was physically capable of winning. Tsuna glanced at him then made that same face of terror he showed every time the two of them met at some place; his honey orbs resonated with his trembling body. Whether the herbivore was shaking from soreness or fear, he did not know.

At that moment, the blue-haired man's lips curved down when his heels plunked on the floor. "Look at what you've done," his foot tapped against the hard surface below it, "You're ruining my fun." and his clothes rustled as he got off his seat.

"Look who's talking," Hibari snorted as he pocketed his hands, "You're the one who ruined my sleep." Upon the entrance of his hands in his pockets, there were something in his right pocket, thin and crisp that folded upon his touch, it was paper. There were a lot of them, his hand picked one and he took it out, showing it to the man opposite him. He knew what it was; it was that piece of paper he ripped to pieces. The small piece he held in front of him was an integral part of the original since it held one of the two words he read before.

Mukuro tittered, "So what? Then I'll bring him back." He spoke as he paced to be behind the chair. Hibari pulled out his other hand, also holding another piece with anger written on it. Bits of wood exploded in all directions after a few milliseconds, as a tonfa broke the chair that was set into the air by Mukuro. To Hibari's surprise it wasn't an illusion, for hundreds of splinters came into contact with him and a few left gashes on his skin as proof. "I'll make you feel it!" with the last word of his battle cry, the mist-user ran towards the Cloud Guardian; the two pieces of paper, Hibari had let go already, was caught up in the draft his movements made.

Hibari saw him approach with trident at the ready to stab his flesh. He wanted to react yet the greater part of the destroyed furniture hit his ribs and it pushed him back. Through his squinted eyes, he saw that the girl was unharmed but she was reaching for him despite the apparent danger she might get trapped in. "I… I-pin…" pale lips mouthed her name. Giving his left side a glance, he knew where the pain that flooded his systems came from, three blades shredded his left lung and shoulder; the illusionist's attack was successful. He closed his eyes at the sudden ache and the momentum made him crash against the carpeted floor, his head hit and bounced off the cushioned bottom.

"KYOYA!"

His body jolted into life and his eyes opened hastily. The lights blinded him but it didn't stop his hand from inspecting his shoulder. There was no blood, to that he was glad, but it was really sore. He leaned back against his chair and his hand still traced the fabric over his chest. Dreams can sometimes be realistic, no all the time, he corrected.

He went back to his work after feeling that he had regained his energy and seeing that there were tasks left at hand. But this time he wasn't working because he didn't want to sleep, he was doing it to get tired and sleep again.

"Who said I was afraid?"

But his effort of trying to see her was in vain…

_To be continued…_

*Sigh* My first semester is over, and I flunked a subject and have two conditionals… Dear, dear, I think I'm gonna get killed soon. If it ever happens this fanfiction doesn't get updated for three months after this, then that means I'm already dead. Otherwise I'll tell you I'm not dead. XD OK almost halfway through the story, at least this one is going well…

I hate long paragraphs, I'm allergic to them. Are you? If you are, tell me if my paragraphs are getting a bit too long especially if they can be divided or separated. And tell me if I had spelling mistakes as well. Okay? And sorry about the composition, I haven't written in a while so I'm still catching up. I tried my best to dive into Hibari's thoughts and to keep everyone OC as much as possible. Please don't kill me?

A paradox:

~ If God can do anything, can he create a boulder so heavy he can't lift it? ~


	10. We Live Our Lives On Different Sides 5

Author Rambling: Can anybody tell me where HaruxHibari came from? I'm just depressed, but I love HibarixIpin nonetheless. And I'm having a serious attack of "Hibari complex" I don't have anything more to say, only that others are making my favorite characters gay. Poor Hibari and Firion… But what if they're really gay?... My God…

I do not own "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!" No way in history!

We Live Our Lives on Different Sides

~Emotion, Not Fatigue, Opens the Path to Her~

Obstinate was he and that was why he was strong. Even if he knew that he would lose by fighting, he would still fight because at the end of the loss he still learned something. Even in his dreams he fought but he knew one thing, he was the victor after.

Hibari continued to work until all that was the tower of paper beside him was restacked neatly on the opposite side.

Many times had Kusakabe checked up on him and each time the man came in, the look of disbelief was plastered on his face. The vice president swore that if he saw his superior working for the last time that he came inside the office, he'd call for exorcists to fend off the malicious spirit possessing the poor lad. Yet when he came in, no one was there, only a clean table where the paperwork stood finished…

It was the time for Hibari's usual afternoon catnaps, but he wasn't sleepy to his disappointment. He wanted to prove _the girl_ how much of a victor he was and so that he can destroy the image of the Mist Guardian and put him out of his dreams permanently. His bed didn't cooperate though, proving quite uncomfortable at the meantime, and no matter how he shifted under the sheets he couldn't get the tug of sleepiness which, he thought, would bring to _reality_ his imminent win against his subconscious mind…

Days and nights had passed by, and however tiring they were, he never had lucid dreams of sheer insanity, neither did he remember anything from his period of slumber. No dreams, no nothing! And those days turned into weeks and he had realized that his sleep that lacked dreams somehow soaked up a fraction of his energy that led to shortened endurance. For example, every time he lied down, slept, then awoke, his rest felt as if it only took mere fifteen minutes when in reality it took seven or eight hours!

Not only that, but his work needed energy and the troubles thrown in with the package made his exhaustion worse. He was in a very tiresome predicament yet he just couldn't ignore the silent whispers of curiosity in his head.

And so, Hibari deliberately took a stroll outside of the base, in the streets of Namimori, hoping to get away from everything even for a while. ("I'm not running away", he said, "just taking a break. Besides, fleeing ain't my thing." XD)

Calm was the day, and blotched were the skies with a few clouds, brightening his mood.

Clip, clop, was the sound that his soles made with the concrete street on which he treaded, following its trail which meandered through the town. Chirp, chirp was the sound of the birds as they perched on the trees that populated the area and a certain yellow, fuzzy one landed on the prefect's head and nestled itself with ebony hair.

"Hibari!" it chirped twice then fell silent, it knew well how to behave around its master. Furthermore, people wouldn't mistake Hibird as a crowding factor and that it was incapable of completely distracting the anti-hero and the anti-hero was glad.

On his way, he saw familiar faces and had remembered that he had classes that day, as if he cared at all. But, a few minutes later he found himself in the school grounds, alone, staring at the large buildings, and he noted that the herbivores were more active, energetic was an understatement, than before.

Something was different in the atmosphere as he sat down at the back of the room right before his supposed-third class started, and a rowdy group of females caused a very tight scowl to appear on his face. What was going on?

Time passed fairly slowly, probably because Hibari's presence made the professor stutter and panic. The bird atop the lad's head didn't contribute positively…

Anyway, there was nothing else to do in school after class, so the prefect decided to saunter out of the classroom so that he could go home (if he had a home, that is). Reaching the door, the bird launched off from his hair, its chirping faded slowly as it flew farther and farther from him.

What's more, the people in the halls gave way to him, like he was a king, and passed by with their own gossips and murmurs to which he wouldn't give a damn. Hibari went on and crossed paths with some of the guardians once in a while, namely the Storm and the Rain who were apparently surrounded by many female herbivores.

Gokudera ignored him for which Hibari was thankful.

Yamamoto, on the other hand, waved at him and he simply gave a glance and a nod of his head, all without stopping in his tracks, while the former grinned happily at the proper yet half-hearted reaction of the Cloud Guardian. "At least he was trying," Yamamoto would reason.

Finally, he was back to the quiet sidewalks of Namimori which he enjoyed the most. Clip, clop was the sound of his soles that danced with the road yet there was another set of feet that joined in the cadence; tap, tap, was its sound.

The prefect turned, the fabric of his jacket swayed along with his motion, and that was when he saw a young girl in a red Chinese dress. "Hibari-san," she called to him with a voice as soft as the chirping of birds and her hands clutched something similar to those that the herbivores had before. She stopped before him with eyes full of determination.

Sweat ran down her cheeks and her chest rose up and down in a fast rhythm, his observation made him realize that he had forgotten an important thing, which the girl reminded him quickly.

"Today is the fourteenth…" Hibari muttered, his glare did not falter even as he crouched to her level, wiping away a drop of sweat that sat on her slightly red cheek; red from shyness or tiredness, he didn't know.

The box that she held, she finally handed it to him and he took it gratefully. "Really, what a nuisance you are," Hibari said as his frown tightened more causing the little girl to flinch and to wring her own hands tightly. _Running around town just to find me…_ He used that time to place the chocolates inside his jacket's inner pocket and spared the girl, who had a pitiful expression, a glance, and the expression she had was quite enjoyable (damn, what a sadist). But kissing the girl on her cheek resulted to a much better colored-face.

"That was a joke," Warm breath feathered across her face as he retracted from their proximity yet his face betrayed whatever he tried to imply. He smirked as the look of horror, terror and surprise crossed the little girl's face that which turned red like a tomato. And his smirk turned to a small and sincere smile; she always had a knack at making him soft, though he swore that nobody should have seen that and he would kill otherwise.

I-pin couldn't take it anymore; she had to run away or else she will explode near him and she wouldn't want that to happen. No, no! She brushed against him as she wanted to flee from his eyes and he would just look over his shoulder to see her disappear on the next corner. He would walk away after that and he would hear a loud boom from the distance and then feel the ground shake. "Hm."

The two of them had been unknowingly celebrating Valentines Day in a similar manner every year for four years and I-pin would always run away from him, her braids playing with the wind, though the kiss was a whole different event. Hibari would always enjoy the dark chocolate she gave him…

Tatami were under his socks, sliding doors were behind him, and the scent of incense emanated from the walls from both his sides, those were what his Namimori's shrine had. No matter how he pushed the thought aside, the said structure gave him the comfortable vibes of a real home. Yes, a real home…

Scents didn't often wake him from his sleep but abrupt changes did, and the sudden disappearance of the smoky scent of incense stirred him, being replaced by pines. The absence of the hard floor boards and _her_ voice made his eyes to shoot open.

"Hello," the girl, who he hastily recalled to be I-pin, welcomed him with a feathery kiss on his brow. "It's been a while, hasn't it Hibari?"

Pine trees towered around the opening where he lay, with a shimmering lake on the treeless edge of the earth. Lolling to his side to feel I-pin's thigh soft against his cheek, the natural majesty seemed to overwhelm his instincts, "Where is this?" a question he posed as he continued to rest his weary head on the girl's lap.

I-pin kept silent for a few seconds as she put her gaze in the direction the young lad was staring off to. "This is the sanctuary that you asked me," and she merely got a glare from the corner of his eyes, which was interrupted by some form of fog that appeared not too far from them. From it emerged the image of another boy around Hibari's age, his boyish chortle was undeniable his and his alone. "Hi I-pin!" Yamamoto waved at the girl who was then currently freed from the Cloud's weight, as the latter rose from his position to his feet.

She followed suit and the Rain rather claimed her in his arms. Nevertheless, Yamamoto's hands that cupped her face caught Hibari's attention, and the former's words interested him to no end, "Where have you been? I was worried that you left me permanently…" the younger lad trailed off as the happiness in his features softened.

Their relative peace was broken by a shriek that came from the bushes, and it prompted Yamamoto to pose as a shield for I-pin while Hibari didn't really care for he knew who owned such a voice and such a girly scream, there was no other but Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Tsuna huffed and puffed as he reached the opening, and it appeared that he was being chased by something by the way he looked over his shoulder, frightened in fact. Pleadingly, his honey orbs searched for the concern of his friends and found lots of it and he started babbling incoherently.

"Shut up, Tsunayoshi," The cold prefect ordered and the boy quickly obeyed, terrified by the dark aura that his senior was releasing.

It was a good thing that the Rain Guardian was there and it was all the assurance Tsuna needed. "Let's not get into fights," Yamamoto said as he encouraged his boss to tell him what happened yet the Vongole dared not to speak. "We're not gonna get anywhere like this…" a light-hearted chuckle escaped his lips and it was infectious enough for I-pin to join in.

To Hibari Kyoya's dismay, another loud scream was heard from the same bushes, "Tenth!" Gokudera's voice boomed through the air, scaring the birds, and one such creature flew past the serious Cloud Guardian, ruffling his hair but not his demeanor. As the other boy got closer, Hibari's lips curled down more.

The Storm Guardian finally reached them, and inspected Tsuna at the very instant he did so. "Good, you're not hurt."

"What happened by the way?" I-pin quickly interjected Gokudera's supposed ranting. Instead of getting an answer, a Storm brewed because of Yamamoto being there with Tsuna, and Gokudera started to throw insults randomly.

It made Hibari wince inwardly and he was quick on devising a plan to escape such humiliation of being with a herd of herbivores, _stupid_ herbivores. A few steps led him easily to the edge of the lake; his reflection was clear on its undisturbed surface and he met eye to eye with his copy. Another step forward and he was to fall into the body of water, only to be pulled by the collar and back to the grassy clearing on his back.

His plan failed thanks to Mukuro. "As if I'm going to let you leave this place," the illusionist stated as a matter of fact. Then he eyed the others, "And what is this about?" he spoke tersely, starting a monologue. "Why is the jealous one here? You thought that the baseball nut was going to steal your boss from you, huh?"

The person in question was supposed to retaliate with his own words but the Mist Guardian quickly shifted to another person, "And you," he pointed at Tsuna, "I thought I told you to go die so that the Vongole family will be mine." A smile was exchanged for the trembling of the brown-haired boy, the pleasure mainly on Mukuro's side.

He then turned to the final person whom he was going to insult, "So that's why Gokudera was here…" but the insult never came. Swiveling in Hibari's general direction, who did not try to move after seeing that it was futile, Mukuro started to ramble once again with his peculiar laugh as a start.

"My, my, this is very interesting." He said as he walked around a dizzy prefect for he brought up an illusion of a Sakura Spring another time. "What happened to you? Suddenly being so… emotional,"

The debilitated one looked at the others who only stared back at him, as if mocking him. "What are you getting at?" he hissed as pain grew stronger in his head.

"Surely you know what I speak of," the illusionist grabbed Hibari by the hair, pulling his head for his eyes to gaze at the facade of the only female that was with them. "Her," abusive gifts in the form of attacks were given to him unrelentingly, until Rokudo paused to heave a sigh of victory, giving a person in the audience her cue, "Are you done?" Her soft voice pissed the Mist Guardian and was about to bring another attack against the Cloud. "You cannot break him and you know that," but he went on only to be seized by the Rain.

As I-pin came closer, Hibari started to try and grab her, his body failed him miserably but his spirit was still alive. "I'm here," she caught him and wrapped her arms around the limp young man. The other two mysteriously disappeared and Mukuro followed them after he saw a very appalling scene roll in front of him.

Hibari groaned, his sore body taking its toll on him. "Are you still here to laugh at me, Rain Guardian?" he asked as he kept a tight grip on I-pin's clothes, yet the other boy just smiled and thanked him. Though his face had swollen, the prefect was able to make a stunned look.

"It's because of you that I'm here," Yamamoto's smile grew into a big grin. "I'll look forward to next time," and he disappeared just like the others had done so.

Seeing that there was no one else to engage a conversation with, Hibari let go of I-pin to sit by his own strength and faced her. "You sure put a lot of faith in me," he closed his eyes and let a groan escape his lips, pain evident by the furrowing of his brows. _It happened yet again…_

"I-is there something that I can do to make you feel better?" she asked then flung her hand over mouth, "I will stay quiet."

"Hm." Steely eyes revealed themselves as he looked at her, almost completely still and quiet. "You're that girl," and she returned his gaze with hers that was questioning, "You're that Chinese girl who explodes."

She laughed; yes she did, too bad that he couldn't move. "No," she smiled and was slowly disappearing and before she did, she placed a hand over his swollen eye ever so slightly, "We are two different entities," the last of her existence flowed with the wind and her final words rang through his ears, "I wish we were…"

"Why?" a question that was left to hang in the air, with the last remains of the current that ran through both of their bodies.

This is really half-assed, and I think the last part of the chapter sucked. I don't know if Rokudo Mukuro was talkative but I remembered in the anime that he was monologing (?) when he first used the sakura against Hibari. Oh well, please report OOC characters in your reviews, don't forget the criticisms!

"Those who are weak rely on their dreams to get by their own lives."


	11. We Live Our Lives On Different Sides 6

Time skip because if I remember well, the last chapter happened when Hibari was around 18-ish. So yeah.

I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or any of its characters © Akira Amano, ™ of whoever they are registered with.

* * *

We Live Our Lives on Different Sides

~The thin line between reality and dream slowly dissolves~

'It would have been a normal day if it weren't for the unusually low number of customers' I-pin thought to herself. True, six people coming to the restaurant was few and there were even fewer deliveries. Half of the day had passed and she still hadn't heard from Mister Kawahiro.

Getting bored, a sigh escaped the girl's lips and by the silence in their establishment, the owner had no choice but to hear it. Soon enough, I-pin was let off as it was about dusk and still no customers.

There she was out in the streets again but with nothing to do but to go home.

It's peaceful. The days have become such with the Mafia wars sparse between weeks. With the arcobaleno curse practically solved, there was no big action exploding somewhere, much to her dismay.

In addition to that, she quit being an assassin, and the lack of seeing somebody particular couldn't be bridged with the excuse of being in the same famiglia as he.

So she strolled on, with each step, time seemed to stretch to an eternity. Until she remembered a weird dream.

"You're the Chinese girl that explodes…" Yep, Hibari said that in her dream. But what she wondered about was that why she said no. It was her; she was sure it was herself there. But she denied it.

Speaking of the infamous disciplinarian, the young girl hadn't seen him in a while.

'He must be on a mission!' she thought although the reality hit her hard.

'Someday, maybe someday, I'd be that I-pin who you can remember,' she thought with finality, for there she was in front of her home, the Sawada residence. 'And I'll be your home.'

-cloud-

From Italy with battle scars… Hibari trudged through his apartment, wounds stinging once in a while from all his exertions. Still, he being at "home" doesn't quite cut it. There was no peace. There never was peace in him.

His mind has been doing never-ending somersaults at trying to figure out something that he doesn't even have any idea of. It was as if he was forgetting something, something really important. It was inescapable. And he thought about it as he laid on the couch.

"What was it?" Slowly he dozed off, sinking into his own subconscious where he is forever plagued by a faceless phantom of a past that was lost.

-cloud-

Being a woman of twenty-three and still single, I-pin couldn't figure out why, neither did Kyoko, Haru nor Chrome, as to why she was single. Yeah, she was pretty. She's intelligent. She's strong. She's independent. And the list goes on.

Maybe that's the point. Most of the boys think she's so unreachable. Or maybe they just think that she doesn't need somebody else in her life. Boys are so wrong.

The young woman huffed and puffed. If only Lambo or Fuuta could move past their sibling relationship…

'Did I just consider that possibility?' God, she felt so gross at that thought. Yet she continued to walk the streets of Namimori, rambling inside her head how wrong it was.

Creamy legs peeked out in between her skirt and boots once in a while and she knew people were looking. 'Would Hibari-san look at them hungrily though? Nah, it's impossible.'

There are these moments in time, when somebody prays hard, God is willing to grant it as long as it wouldn't hurt anybody. That was when she felt an eternity within half a heartbeat. No matter how hard she'd try, she will never thank the heavens enough.

'Maybe not so impossible,' after which she felt as if she was hit by a train, not from pain, but from her chest tightening and her heart doing backflips over and over.

Steely gaze caught her from head to toe when they met on the street, and his eyes weren't forgiving as they bore holes into her. Just a little more and they would be face to face, and as I-pin looked on, of course making sure she wasn't eye-raping the older man, she saw in his eyes a look that says 'I remember somebody else who looks like you.'

Then, all of a sudden, that weird dream resurfaced. Heat surely was on her cheeks, flushing it a deep crimson, and her eyes could no longer stray from his face.

'Oh no!' Her mind was screaming at her for her lack of delicacy. However, an opposite thought ran in her mind, 'Hibari-san doesn't care. As long as I don't offend him, it's fine!' Too confident for her own liking.

They passed, like two intersecting lines—never to meet again.

At least for the whole month that followed.

-cloud-

Nausea. There is nothing more annoying than the dizzy feeling you get when you suddenly fall asleep and then suddenly awaken. Now awake and obviously there was no point in going back to sleep, as he was sure that another haunting was waiting for him in this dream-space.

Hibari narrowed his eyes. His sight didn't improve. It only worsened, getting more blurred by the second, darker and darker until he couldn't see anything.

"This is stupid," he said because he knew that he was simply keeping his eyes shut. Until he realized that he couldn't open them, glued together as they were. Only one thing comes to mind about these kind of things in his dreams; there was always a certain pineapple head that messed with the visuals of his dreams. "It must be that guy…" Oh, he can't wait to kill him and be on with it.

Currently blind, he let his instinct run him, proceeding to light some Cloud flames and spreading it around him, using it as some kind of radar. Through his abilities he was able to feel what he couldn't see, like a bat hearing what its surroundings looked like.

'No walls,' the Cloud Guardian took a few steps forward and found that there weren't anything that would hinder him. Nausea, again. That feeling that your head is getting filled with something, like water, and it feels as if it's slowly expanding and throbbing, ready to explode at any moment, came to him while he recalled similar dreams. 'This is… a dream I haven't had in a while…'

There was somebody with him all of a sudden. Dreams do that all the time.

"I-pin?" It was too quick of a response and it left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"How did you know?" Never had he thought that she always had such a soft and smooth voice, and he could feel the woman approach, slowly, steadily, like a tiger stalking its prey.

"What's the meaning of this? Why am I blind?"

"Blind? Aren't your eyes simply closed?" stating the obvious, Hibari had not opted to remark at her _helpful_ statement. Instead he waited, as his dreams usually spoke in a cryptic manner.

"Maybe because you don't want to see the truth?" And she had magically moved behind him.

"What I believe to be truth is truth."

It made her laugh, much to his chagrin. She spoke with an angelic voice, after she savored his apparent inadequacy, "But you, yourself, believe that a part of you is denying a truth that a part of you believes."

"What are you getting at?"

"Well," she said and then magically re-appeared in front of him, tracing circles on his cheek. This resulted in that familiar, annoying but pleasurable at the same time, current. Oh, he could drown in it forever. "Maybe you should decide what to do with your emotions, for example?"

Succumbed to the current and barely able to keep his thoughts together, he spoke with a rather gruff voice, high in euphoria, that he had thrown away the useless things that a human possesses.

"Are you saying you're no longer human?" It was an innocent question, so full of curiosity, and whatever it had done to make him flinch and grab her hand in anger was well beyond him.

"Do you want to know?"

Little by little, Hibari could see, how she lifted her eyes from looking down into his own orbs. Filled with so much want, with her proximity to him, he believed he won't be able to stop himself if the chance ever passes him.

His vision cleared, a light cream color pervaded his sight. It was flat and grainy, like that of wood, of painted wood actually. That was when he realized he was staring at the ceiling, of his apartment no less!

'Just a dream…'

His head hurt so badly all of a sudden; he couldn't remember the face again. It was as if his mind destroys the remains of his dreams in a panic whenever he wakes up. Patting his pocket for his phone, he flipped it open and saw that no one bothered to message or call, which was good, but it also reminded him of that day's date.

-cloud-

It was White Day today, but I-pin wasn't expecting anything in return from her chocolates from Valentine's Day. The truth is she missed giving her chocolate a month ago because she couldn't find Hibari anywhere. Later she heard that the man was indeed out of town, on a mission that Tsuna had put him in. She wanted to tease Tsuna about it but decided it wasn't her brother's fault. Things had to be done and that's it.

'The best thing that the world can give me today is if I can see him on my way home…'

But sometimes, no matter how hard you pray, the universe just doesn't want to go along with even a harmless wish. And she hadn't seen him in a week.

-cloud-

It was peculiar. No matter how many times Kusakabe looked back at it, it was still there. It was a really personal thing, he guessed, and wouldn't want to pry. After all, the Cloud Guardian didn't take too lightly on annoying people, even if it were the closest of people (well, as close as they can get, that is).

That white box still scares him whenever he looks back at it. As Hibari had kept it in his hands the whole time he was handed a document that needed immediate review, Kusakabe observed further. His boss would sometimes tighten his grip on the little object, careful all the same.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind if it's late," Kusakabe had blurted out, instantly regretting what he said. Hibari would be sure to punch him dead later.

-cloud-

It was the first time they've seen each other that year, as Hibari was put in a mission of determining the fate of another famiglia that lasted God-knows-how-long. He hadn't taken the toll of it yet. In the near future, a miserable herbivore will be more miserable after he's done with dishing out pain. But at present another matter needs to be resolved.

There she was, staring at him as she approached. She seemed to be on her way to school by the looks of it; he heard before that she was studying medicine with the excuse of helping the helpless. Hibari knew better.

At the back of his mind, Hibari felt what seems to be déjà vu as they both closed the gap between them. And the faces that remained hazy in his memory slowly had a shape and defining features. He shot his own look at her, from top to toe, thinking that it might make the vision clearer. And it did.

They passed, like intersecting lines, never to meet again. The box, for somebody's sake! Thank God, he remembered before he heard from Tsuna that he'd be put on another God-knows-how-long mission and probably miss her for a couple more weeks to a month then a year, and then completely miss out on giving her the gift.

Swiftly, he turned and called out to the young woman.

"Herbivore!"

Everyone who were around suddenly disappeared. Out of fright, of course. I-pin stopped at his call yet wanted to make sure that it was her that he was calling. She looked around and found no one.

'I swear there were people a moment ago.'

Turning slowly and putting up a determined face, albeit scared nonetheless, she confronted the strongest Guardian of the Vongola family. Towering above her, Hibari's aura exuded death.

"Y-Yes, Hibari-san?"

"Here," to which he held out a small box wrapped in white paper tied with a bow. The moment she saw it, her face blushed so much that she looked like a ripe tomato. She was so happy about what was happening but there was a part of her that didn't want to accept it, as if it was just a dream. Just like that dream.

I-pin can't make him wait. No longer horribly shy, I-pin had long outgrown this definitive characteristic, hence met Hibari with ample confidence, holding out her hand to accept the small parcel. But she still didn't know why she was getting a gift from the man of her dreams. But instead of asking for a reason, she gracefully thanked Hibari for the wonderful present. That was until the color of his present gave him away.

"…White day is a week ago. But I didn't give you anything…"

A snort. She could feel a slight sting from his frightening gaze.

"Nevertheless, thank you." I-pin smiled so brightly it kind of blinded him. It wasn't bad. It just… seemed surreal. And the girl looked like she was about to cry.

Hibari wouldn't want that, to see it or be near it would be unbecoming of his carnivorous ways. So, bobbing his head once in a nod, Hibari left with no other words than what he had already said.

'Really, you could have been more romantic, Hibari-san.'

It was their little ritual which now included White Day.

-cloud-

Back at home, Kyoko, who is now I-pin's sister-in-law (somehow), pointed at the beautiful pendant that hung around I-pin's neck,

"I haven't seen that before, I-pin. Where did you buy that?" the older woman asked as she placed a hand onto her own neck. I-pin picked up the hint quick and fingered the small yet beautiful white-gold moon pendant she received earlier.

"It's a secret."

-cloud-

Darkness.

Then there was a hearty laugh and not the kind that leaves one annoyed, much to Hibari's surprise. "I think you're mistaken, Hibari-san." The voice was particular; it was the rain Guardian—again.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" The way the question was returned to him didn't rub him in the right way. Still feeling iffy about the sudden appearance of an unwanted person, he stilled his tongue. Where had I-pin gone to?

"What do you wish to find?"

"Where is I-pin?"

The other guy laughed again. Hibari wasn't liking it one bit. "You know you won't find her here," Another cryptic statement from the haze that calls himself Yamamoto.

With patience running thin, Hibari doesn't know how long he can still hold on. But he must not let such an opportunity of getting answers to slip away.

"What do you mean?"

"Because you're looking in the wrong place. Try something else, like, the real world."

"I won't remember anything of this when I wake."

"Ah, that's right." Yamamoto looked genuinely thoughtful. "Or maybe your heart?" That was the last straw. He drew his tonfas and launched himself at Yamamoto, eager to rip him to shreds. In his dreams though he is a bit underpowered, resulting with the Rain Guardian avoiding his retribution.

"Oh, you wouldn't want to be too angry now. He might come out you know, that guy."

"Why don't you just tell me? And what about that guy?"

"No anger, okay?"

Like a stone hitting water and creating many waves that create smaller waves until the surface of the water was no longer like a mirror, his vague memories of similar past dreams came flowing back. Correlations have been made and by the sudden realizations, Hibari was left looking like ice cold water had been poured on him.

"Shit."

"Uh-huh."

Hibari's hands fell to his sides and his face looked so enlightened with a pinch of disbelief.

"Yep. So you finally figured it out, huh? That took quite long. If you have been more open to reality and yourself, it should have been over years ago." A usual smile graced Yamamoto's face, adding to Hibari's annoyance. If he could stop talking, that would be great as well, "Did you know, that I was a part of your mind?"

"No."

"Now you do."

"If you are, what part are you?" Hibari getting on.

"Hehe, I'm the part who will most likely follow I-pin."

-cloud-

Tsuna had called again. He said, the remnants of the famiglia they destroyed not too long ago had swarmed Namimori in search of revenge. Not only that but they were able to get reinforcements, most probably from small time famiglia that held grudges against the Vongola. It was going to get ugly.


	12. We Live Our Lives On Different Sides 7

Thank you for getting this far. A virtual cookie for you!

I do not own KHR or any of its characters.

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We Live Our Lives on Different Sides

ACT II

~A Storm Is Brewing~

A week ago there was a sighting of enemy forces congregating somewhere in Namimori, and are possibly out for revenge. It was rather ironic if you think about it: famiglia who are against one another grouping together under a single flag just to defeat the Vongola.

However, the people of Namimori still don't feel threatened, probably because Hibari patrols the streets. Who wouldn't agree that Hibari's the scariest person in the place? And that is why one would be able to say that things haven't gotten _that_ dangerous as of the moment. As they say, a calm before the storm.

"This peace is fleeting," Tsuna began as he got his best men in a strategy meeting. But then again, in the real world nothing happens exactly as planned, down to the very letter. As such, they began discussing possible approaches that the enemy may take. However it's nothing but speculation and they can only hope for the best.

Luck favors those who are prepared.

-cloud-

If any words even came close, it was 'rejuvenated.' Hibari flexed and relaxed his hand, his arms, his legs… it was as if he drank from the fountain of life. Although he hadn't had those weird dreams lately and had normal dreams just like before, he felt so different.

'So this is how it feels to reconcile with yourself,' he thought, still looking at his hand curiously, as if it had turned huge and green. It was like some new power awakened in him.

He stood and readied for the day. The annoying Herbivore has called on them again for a meeting about destroying yet another group of weaklings. Still, it was an opportunity to try out his new mentality in battle.

-cloud-

The nights were growing tenser as it is easier to attack at night. The punishment for falling asleep while being on duty was death by Hibari's hands. It made the others shudder but those from the Foundation only said 'Meh.'

The enemies were encroaching them, hiding in the shadows, hiding behind civilians, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

-cloud-

Awakening in the dead of night, I-pin had awful gut feelings swirling in her stomach. Something was wrong and here she was doing nothing while others were probably sacrificing their lives out in the field. So she stood, put on a robe and trudged down the stairs, distraught. She felt that she had to do something but didn't exactly knew what.

Knock knock!

The sudden sound made her jump and she was quick to the back door where it came from. In her haste she knocked a few things over and she heard Papa getting up and shuffling about. Soon she was at the door while Papa got off the last flight of stairs. Before opening though, she was wise enough to peek who was outside. Air got knocked out of her lungs at the surprise.

"Hibari-san!" The young lady gaped at him whilst fumbling with the doorknob. Into the light the Guardian stepped in and that was when she saw that he was not alone. In tow was the Rain Guardian who was dripping in blood, his own blood, and had gashes everywhere and some bullet wounds here and there.

The almost dead man raised his head, his voice so raspy it tore I-pin up just by listening, blood oozing from his mouth with each word, "Hello, I-pin… Sorry to interrupt," and she clamped a hand on his lips. Her tears were threatening to fall. But she was an experienced doctor; it was not the time to be emotional. Rather, calm and indifference would be the key to save his life.

So, she directed Hibari to drag Yamamoto to the kitchen table turning the said object into an alternative operating table. As Hibari was laying the other man out, Papa came and helped, then cleaned off the blood that was on the tiled floor. When he finished, he disappeared up to the second story of the house and the rest could only think that he was comforting his wife; probably saying that it was just a stray cat and their daughter had taken care of it.

I-pin had boiled water when the men were busy, also preparing everything that she would need for the operation. Opening the sun attribute box she had, the light wounds the patient had quickly closed and all she had to take care of were the critical wounds and removing the bullets.

Throughout the time the box animal showed its power, I-pin held Yamamoto's hand, continuously comforting the older man as she cleaned off the blood from his face.

"Everything is going to be alright, Yamamoto-san. Just hold on."

The man gave her a weak smile and a slight squeeze of his hand. His eyes gradually closed though, feeling a little more relieved and had succumbed to exhaustion, leaving his hand limp. It scared I-pin that he might be dead and she hadn't made it in time but there still was a pulse in him, albeit weak, but still there.

The young doctor steeled herself, it was going to be a long night.

As the Rain got treated, Hibari's eyes never left the young woman as she worked to saving the former. Inside him, he felt a storm brew—emotions sweeping in his being, picking up speed, becoming turbulent, until he was sure it was something that was well out of his control's league.

After a while the doctor asked him, along with Sawada Iemitsu, to flip Yamamoto's body as there was a bullet wound on his back. Sweat riddled her forehead and sometimes the other herbivore would wipe it for her. Drops glistened against the light but then her eyes glittered more as her determination to save her dying ally made them bright even in the shade.

-cloud-

Six bullets in different places, two of which hit the lungs, one the liver… and the exhausted I-pin hovered over Yamamoto, who was breathing hoarsely on the table. His life signs had become stable but he suffered from extreme blood loss.

The doctor smiled at her tough soldier and she gave the Rain Guardian a peck on the forehead, "You did a good job, Yamamoto-san." The act put Hibari's heart on a grill and twisted his guts in many different ways. No matter, he was going to get the same treatment anyway.

Then the woman suddenly remembered that there was another person aside from the operated one, and I-pin turned to Hibari who was clutching his right arm, a red stain over his purple button-up shirt. Regardless of fatigue, she willed herself to him, saying that he should have spoken earlier.

"Hmph." Was all Hibari could say to her foolishness. As if a gash could kill him; he's better than that. Also, her box animal made the blood stop from flowing out earlier. There was no threat to his life.

Another operation was about to start and just as Hibari's shirt was about to be torn from him, Iemitsu came back with bags of blood, typed O, meant for their other patient.

"Oh ho, I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I have here some more blood for Yamamoto-kun," he said with lips pouted ominous and eyes narrowed mischievously, in an attempt of teasing.

With his statement, I-pin hesitated from unbuttoning Hibari's shirt but then returned to her collected attitude from before, "Papa, please get some blankets and clothes for these men. We don't want them to catch a cold," she said as-matter-of-factly and had finished with the buttons with Hibari's help.

The man just shrugged the shirt off from his side that was unharmed and let the doctor gingerly pull it from his wounds, surprising I-pin that he had another on his back. Seeing that his wounds weren't vital, I-pin left Hibari she can begin transfusing blood for her other patient.

Iemitsu returned with what seems to be the things the woman had asked for and placed them near the table. He then proceeded to clean off the blood from the Rain Guardian and once done placed a blanket over the lad in his make-shift bed.

Without looking over her shoulder, as she was busy with removing a bullet from Hibari's shoulder, she spoke coldly, "Papa, tell Mama I can't sleep so I'll be downstairs for a while." The old man guessed that she was acting so cold so as to not get teased about being with her crush in the middle of the night. Indeed, he did what he was told and was never seen again.

-coud-

Not a stinging feeling was left when I-pin was done with all his wounds. She was indeed a good doctor that was overpowered with the help of Sun Flames.

Aside from that, the kitchen was spotless and not a sign of a bloody operation could be detected anywhere. She thanked Hibari for helping her move Yamamoto to the couch and help with some cleaning in the previous room.

It was surprising; she thought that the Cloud Guardian would leave as soon as he was healed. But there he was, lingering still.

Hibari felt indebted. And troubled.

-cloud-

Whatever he felt a few days ago, of how rejuvenated he was, it was gone. All gone, like it didn't even happen. It was thanks to the Rain Guardian being pampered, well the reason was valid, by no other than I-pin.

Hibari was royally pissed. Pissed at the Rain but more pissed at himself. Why you ask?

A familiar annoying creepy laugh rumbled through the air, "Emotional yet again, aren't we?" then appeared the voice's owner, Mist covering him in a theatrical entrance. "We meet again."

"Hmph."

At that very moment, a silver-haired man appeared from nowhere, red with anger, with dynamites ready to be lit. He suddenly hollered, prompting a vein to pop on the Disciplinarian's forehead,

"PINEAPPLE! What are you doing here!? And where's the Tenth, huh!?"

"Whut?" The Mist guardian looked at him quizzically, "Maybe the other guy has him? You know the Rain?"

"That baseball nut!"

"Jealous, aren't we?"

Then something exploded in Hibari. He attacked, his face too neutral for comfort, but had a very strong killing intent all the same.

"I am not."

"Ho ho, so you already know everything about us, eh?"

The two exchanged some blows until they came to a deadlock.

Apparently in a disadvantage in terms of strength, Mukuro snarled, "I'm surprised I'm not strong. You're doing well managing us."

"Shut up," Hibari swung hard, winning the deadlock and pushing the other guardian farther back. Just as he was about to send his arch enemy to the abyss of his apathy, a certain shrilly shriek distracted him, thus allowing the illusionist to escape.

"Damn you. You'll pay for this," was his parting words.

Now completely sober, Hibari turned to see the head of the Vongola family curled into a ball in the corner of his dream. He approached slowly not wanting to ignite the hotheaded person with them.

"Herbivore," Hibari called but his boss didn't hear him; he was mumbling to himself. "What are you, and what are you doing here?"

"If this goes on…" The brunette kept on going. "It will be the end! Oh no!"

"Herbivore, if you don't stop, I'll bite you to death!" Since he was quite close, he was able to make out the incoherent blabbering from where the other was crouched. "What will end?"

"T-T-That is…" Tsuna was getting more scared. As it is, Gokudera came to the rescue, shielding his superior even if it was futile.

"Spit it out."

The younger man gulped, unsure if he should say it or not. A few more seconds passed with Tsuna hesitating to speak that Hibari didn't take too lightly. The Cloud Guardian raised his tonfa and it was more than enough to squeeze it out of the Scaredy Sky, "If… If things went on… This, us, we might be your bane. If you regain us, I'm afraid you will die."

-cloud-

Hibari woke in his office in the Foundation. After I-pin had treated his wounds, he stayed for a bit in the Herbivore's residence then left after he had deemed the surroundings clear. Next, he was quick to make his way to the headquarters without being followed so that he could report the happenings to Tsuna and then prepare a countermeasure for all that had happened.

Since he was fully healed at that time, he was able to push back the enemy forces with the help of the Sun Guardian. It took quite a while but not too long, and then he was back in the Foundation ready to take a nap while his underlings took care of the chores.

Well, that was what happened according to his memory.

It wouldn't have had escalated that far if the Rain Guardian wasn't so weak. Okay, he wasn't that weak, maybe if he was a little more careful… he pondered. When he was defending the already-battered Rain Guardian, his feet felt like he was fleeting, as light as air. But now, he isn't sure if he can do it again.

The weight of the recent events are nothing compared to what is really pulling him down. That lump of flesh located in the middle of the chest that which continuously thumps is now sinking to the pit of his stomach. Not only that but he was pretty sure that his crotch also reacted to the woman removing his shirt for his operation.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was scared of the things that were happening inside of him. Not too long ago, he was certain that he has mastered control over his emotions and primal tendencies. He has kept responsibility over them all throughout the years but why now?

"Kyoya, are you there?"

The familiar voice switched on his annoyance radar and the owner coming into the room made a dot appear on the screen.

"What are you doing here, Bucking horse?"

"Well, I had a meeting with Tsuna regarding the situation in Italy. Man, am I shocked by what happened here. Italy's a lot better." Dino sat down in one of the couches that was in front of the president's table, sinking into a repose. Then he continued, "I'm also surprised that I-pin-chan has made it back. I'm pretty sure she didn't want anything to do with the Mafia."

"She didn't want anything to do with killing, not with the Mafia," Hibari corrected and to that, Dino had a teasing 'Ooh' face. The younger one looked at him with a raised brow, "What?"

"She's gotten pretty, hasn't she? Well, you know what they say: the older a man gets, the younger the woman he needs."

"Hn." A smirk played in his lips, not annoyed nor amused, probably because he agrees with what was said. "You can still joke around despite the situation."

"I was just trying to help. As your mentor, I am also concerned for your well-being. And I wish you would be less dense."

"Go away Bucking Horse before I bite you to death."

"Alright, alright. As you wish, your Highness. But…" eyes narrowed into slits and Hibari knew that Dino was going to be serious, "I heard what you did. Kusakabe-san said it was as if you were having a good time, fleet-footed and all. What happened?"

"Something."

Blond hair got combed rather violently at the obvious remark, "Darn it, Kyoya. Of course something happened!" Dino, who happens to have a very long patience, huffed, exasperated at his student. "Well, whatever it was, just do it again. Unless you want Namimori destroyed."

Then Hibari was alone again.

"Hmph, easier said than done."

-cloud-

'If you regain us, you will die.'

Even the smallest pebble can create the most troubling of waves in a human's soul. The thought that you know that you could die any moment is frightening. But Hibari Kyoya is different. And he will face death with a smile on his face.

* * *

Hi guys! It's been a while. I don't know if people are even getting to this chapter but if someone is, thank you again!

Please leave a review; a "great", or "nice story" would suffice. It's more of an ego-boost really. C:


	13. We Live Our Lives On Different Sides 8

Hi guys! Thank you Hisami93 and yuyiz93 (why do you both have 93? Just kidding) for reviewing! Anyway, I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

* * *

**We Live Our Lives on Different Sides**

_ACT II_

~Can you feel it beating?~

The night before has left the morning air pungent with the smell of explosives and gunpowder and blood and dirt. The situation has normalized but the threat is still present and those who swore to protect Namimori cannot and will not abandon their responsibilities of keeping the land and its people safe. Hence, the Vongola family, the target of the united-many-families, is in a strategy meeting yet again. But this time, someone who is from outside would join them, and would surely shock everyone.

-cloud-

The room was filled with low mumblings and musings and even though some of the topics were actually happy, some couldn't relax. The threat of an attack was at fault.

Those who were early still had to wait for them to be completed, with the female Mist Guardian arriving last, clearly in her husband's stead. But before anything started, what the second-to-the-last who arrived noticed first was the presence of a non-regular in their midst.

He simply watched from his seat, careful not to be too obvious, observed how she smiled so wide whenever the Rain, who is already fine to walk but is still decommissioned, asked her a very trivial question or when the Bovine said something stupid. And whenever she did smile, he felt something boil inside him and he knew well what it was. After all, the events of his last dream was so clear he could remember it as if it was memory of just a few seconds ago.

Back from that surreal event, Hibari had begun feeling his heart thumping inside his chest. Of course, it had always been there. A long time ago he could do strenuous activities and not even feel it thump once. What's more is that it was supposed to be inaudible but for him it sounds like a bell tolling in his ears. And now that I-pin was near he could feel it high in his throat, beating crazy, ready to come out his mouth.

It was just, for some reason, he'd been more sensitive to it.

The Cloud Guardian, despite of his emotionless facade, raged with jealousy. Whoever made her sit between the stupid cow and that herbivore was going to feel a new level of pain. But of course the sorry target will never know the reason behind it.

Trying to get his grips on his feelings, his eyes closed for a moment and when they opened, he saw honey orbs looking through him and into his soul. There was guilt in him for being caught red-handed yet he still felt enraged by his Boss' decision that rather than looking guilty, he looked really, really annoyed.

Tsuna smiled awkwardly and was glad that Hibari was tame enough not to bite him to death.

"So, we all have discussed before what the possible approaches the enemies might take. Today, I would like to expand on that in light of what happened last night," Tsuna began thus putting the meeting in order and killing all the other discussions within the group. They talked about a lot of things, most of which does not concern I-pin directly.

Finally, "As you see, I-pin, who had long ago left our famiglia, is present amongst us for the reason that I would like her to become an ally," shifting his eyes to the mentioned girl and not faltering, "Who will take responsibility over the wounded and sick."

All eyes were on him and Tsuna felt many different kinds of stare. And among these stares, one was actually a glare. A glare so sharp Tsuna swore that he will fall into ribbons later.

"Boss Tsuna?" I-pin was surprised. Yes, there were times that she was invited to security meetings for the sole purpose of protecting Mama, Kyoko and Haru and the non-combatants. But this was… too much to take?

"Will you help us?" Tsuna almost pleaded.

By that simple plea, every pair of eyes were now on her. Well maybe not. A certain pair still looked straight through Tsuna, as if the owner was stabbing his boss using his sight. I-pin laughed inwardly, for if Tsuna was really getting stabbed, she was sure the count would be greater than a hundred already.

"If you're worried about your safety, I will arrange for somebody to pro—" but the Boss was cut off by a raised hand of the young woman.

"It's not that," and the ex-assassin had the look of pure determination. But what she was going to say, never had Tsuna expected, "But what about Mama and the others? Who will protect them?"

That was when tears fell from Tsunayoshi's eyes, subsequently bowing low to the carpet, prompting everyone to stand as he was on the floor.

"I-pin, thank you!" And everyone was around him, giving hands to him, propping him up, that they would be his strength until the end of their lives.

"Oh, don't worry too much. I'm sure everyone here is willing to do their best for you," I-pin said while everyone was busy consoling their boss and each other.

Well, not exactly everyone. There was this one person who hated crowding and decided to look uninterested. The young woman looked at him, he looking at her with a light tone of impressed, and gave him a warm smile. He was apathetic as usual so she didn't know if he did care. Not that it mattered.

"Thank you everyone."

-cloud-

The time came that I-pin had to leave for she had classes that she had to attend for formality's sake; she's practically one of the best, if not the best, blackmarket doctors around. Polite as she was, she excused herself from everyone and bowed. But when she was about to exit the room, Yamamoto called to her, saying that he will escort her to school since everyone was busy.

And upon hearing it, Tsuna grimaced. The Cloud Guardian could rampage in a killing frenzy… Not. Hibari simply sat in his place and disinterest clear in his features. His eyes rolled once he saw that his boss was looking at him incredulously, expecting that a rage would roll out soon.

"Hibari-san," Tsuna began, "I think you should do it. After all, Yamamoto-kun should rest."

"Fine." Hibari then left with I-pin.

-cloud-

After some time, the two had reached the exit of the headquarters. I-pin clearly did not want Hibari to trouble himself, thus asked if she could walk alone.

"Thank you very much, Hibari-san. I'll be fine from here." As she was about to push the door open, she saw Mist flames around her, emanating from the Cloud Guardian. Maybe it was so that her exit of the headquarters would be undetected by the enemies and such, that which she concluded and had relaxed, until Hibari had her pressed against the wall by his mere presence. "Hibari-san?"

He could hear it; he could feel it. And it was keeping him awake. His heart beat so strong and it slowly sunk into his stomach like a deadweight. There was no way to stop it without killing himself. His body is acting out on its own and it's scaring the shit out of him.

Moving closer to taste her lips, he heard her squeak. Her eyes shut tight and her body tense told more than enough that she didn't want it. I-pin was a hair's breadth away, she was that close, yet he had never felt so alone. And hurt.

And so, he glided like a ghost and opened the door, signaling the little bird to fly away.

I-pin looked at him but didn't have the strength to gaze deep into his eyes, thus stammered on the floor. He was apathetic as usual so she didn't know if he did care. So she walked towards the door with a guilt-ridden heart.

-cloud-

The war was finally over. The enemies were devastated, what with Hibari rampaging like a blood thirsty monster on the field. Tsuna didn't even have to fight, more like didn't want to fight, as it was probable that the said person would bite to death anyone who was interfering, be it enemies or allies. The Cloud saw them all the same.

Soon, the enemies will use their trump card, as the game was nearing a checkmate.

-cloud-

There was an eerie laugh in the air and it was so familiar it was annoying him. It continuously rung in his ears as he couldn't find the source in all of the illusions present.

Another attack came from nowhere and Hibari was lucky enough to dodge it despite all his wounds, "Coward," growling as he was trying to dispel the illusions. He then set his radar flames wider as precaution.

"You can't do it!" said the enemy illusionist hidden in the Mist. Until…

That was when Hibari felt a fast object closing in.

A loud crash ensued. Hibari didn't wait for the dust to settle and had willed himself to where the enemy had fallen. There, he saw I-pin beating the crap out of Mukuro with her bare fists. "WELL, I CAN!"

"Get out of there!" The Cloud Guardian screamed when he felt Mukuro regaining his senses. The younger one was quick to follow his order and had evaded a slash from his trident. Another wave of Genju Gagaia erupted from the Mist aura that Mukuro unleashed, surrounding both of them with materializing crows.

"What's going on? Why is Mukuro-san your, no, our enemy?" I-pin was shocked but kept her guard up. "Kyo-san, please don't move for a while." Soon, a sun box animal erupted from I-pin's hands and began healing the poor Cloud Guardian while she charged at Mukuro again as distraction.

As his wounds were healing, Hibari couldn't do anything but defend himself with his box animal and watch the woman fight. Missiles, gunfire and crows, she evaded most of it by releasing dragons of Storm flames and used the explosions as cover.

She had come to save him. That which he did not need. I-pin was throwing away her life. He grimaced, "What a stupid herbivore."

How much longer will it take for him to be completely healed? How much longer does he need to watch her get hurt? How much longer does he need to stand there and compliment her strength? How long does he need to feel his sinking heart?

I-pin will be overpowered any time soon, and he was standing there doing nothing.

-cloud-

"You little!"

The pronged spear lunged forward after three blasts had strategically knocked I-pin into range. That final moment that Mukuro dreamt of has finally come, to be rid of this pesky assassin and that Mafioso guardian and the rest of the world! He will not be deterred! But steel and steel clashed as a giant spiked ball engulfed the woman, thus saving her from her death. Mukuro was pissed. If it weren't for this woman, he wouldn't have wasted so much time. He was really, really angry.

"GENJU GAGAIA!"

More crows appeared everywhere, attacking any enemy of the illusionist in sight, including the ball that was a Cloud hedgehog, unveiling an unconscious I-pin.

Mukuro's eyes glinted when he saw Hibari releasing a lot of his hedgehogs against the numerous crows. "I'll show you pain!" again lunging with his spear towards the now broken shield that was his Cloud box animal, to attack what precious thing it held inside.

Running out of options, Hibari made hedgehogs appear in Mukuro's path so he could stall him. Amidst his swings against the crows that were still around, he threw a handcuff at Mukuro which caught a stray crow instead.

'I won't let you kill her!' Hibari screamed frantically in his mind as he made a few more hedgehogs to clear his path so that he can reach the Mist Guardian and beat him up himself. Willing his self on despite strength leaving his body, near as he was but the crows kept on getting in the way. Till an orange burst of flames came from the sidelines, killing a lot of pesky birds.

Tsuna unleashed another, albeit weaker, X Burner that killed another batch of birds. "Don't let him kill I-pin!" He howled. As if Hibari would let it happen. Over his dead body.

"Wake up," a prayer resounded as Hibari made his way to Mukuro, continuously making hedgehogs to defend her. "Wake up," exhaustion was at him, "Wake up and save yourself."

All the hedgehogs did was annoy Mukuro and if he weren't busy enough controlling all the crows, he would have killed all of them. And now that Tsuna had joined the skirmish, it was like hitting three birds with one stone! Finally, he closed the gap between himself the open hedgehog. Holding his breath, "I got you now!"

Tsuna and Hibari screamed on the top of their lungs, wishing that their voices would wake her "I-pin!" Yet the trident cannot be stopped. Nor could the Skylark be stopped. Nor could it stop her. A bright red flash threw Mukuro away and into the rubble. Hibari took the opportunity to throw handcuffs at the fallen Mist Guardian; the cuff cutting off oxygen, finally disabling the illusionist.

Jogging towards I-pin as he was concerned for her health, Hibari peered inside the broken shell, "I-pin?" Luckily she was alive and well, only a gash to the side from the trident. She opened her eyes, surprise painted her face. It took Hibari by surprise as well,

"Mukuro!" she howled and proceeded to stab to the heart the Mukuro she saw with the trident she had pulled from her wound, unwitting to the illusion that was playing in her mind.

-cloud-

The Vindice came on the aftermath of the battle, picking up Mukuro who was still in the grasp of the handcuff thrown at him, saying that they will take care of the rest. Tsuna wasn't happy of how things turned out. He was sure that Mukuro had somehow given up on destroying the world. But now… the person who was behind all of it was him. Because of Rokudo Mukuro a lot of people were hurt, some almost died while some did die and someone is about to die. It was saddening. He thought that the Mist Guardian could change.

"K-Kyo-san… I'm so sorry…" and I-pin held him tightly against herself, willing her own animal to heal him faster or else he will die.

Once I-pin had stabbed the fake Mukuro, her mind cleared and what befell her senses overwhelmed her. The pronged spear, still in her hands, was covered in blood. His eyes were disbelieving and so was hers. "What have I done?"

His voice was raspy, "Stop crowding me, herbivore…" and as he opened his tired eyes, he saw I-pin crying a river of tears and the necklace he had recently given her was covered in blood. He was starting to feel cold, gave up and returned her caress.

"I won't! Even if you bite me to death!" and I-pin continued on sobbing as she clutched onto the dying man. With that, she felt a slight sting on her shoulder, making her cry more at the futility of the situation. "Kyo-san… I love you…"

Tsuna left; he did not have the strength to withstand the sadness in I-pin's confession. They both knew, that no matter how much flames she put in her skylark, she won't be able to heal the Skylark that was in her arms.

"How am I supposed to feel about you?" Hibari's breathing became slow heaving. I-pin shook her head and held his tighter against her shoulder.

'If you regain us you will die…'

"I-pin… I…"

'If you regain us you will die…' Should he stay or turn around and run? But there was nowhere to run to; it was a dead end already. How much longer does he need to dispel the fear he has in his heart from the thought that he will die soon? 'If you regain us you will die… We are your death.' He didn't want to die, he was afraid for the first time.

"Kyo-san! Please live."

"Please live…"

"You sound… like…" and dull eyes slowly closed and a faint smile slowly formed in his lips, "You want me… to go…" his larger body turned to a burden to hers, that's what his embrace had become. "I-pin, I…" not really wanting to say it, "Love… you too…" And bit her for the last time. At least his heart would stop being such a nuisance.

"NO! I didn't want you to go! KYOYA! STAY WITH ME!"

-cloud-

So she walked towards the door with a guilt-ridden heart. But stopped half way, "Hi-Hibari-san, would you... would you..." and I-pin turned around ever so slowly and if she still had her exploding technique, she would explode after a few seconds. But she didn't. Beet red and embarrassed, she collected all of her courage to ask him a petty favor, "Would you make me your woman?"

Not wanting to look too excited, Hibari devised a "Hn," and approached her, as close as he was before, and licked his lips, "This will be interesting."

-cloud-

I-pin laid him on the cold concrete and saw the hole she had done in his chest. She clumsily checked for a pulse, there was none. She wanted to resuscitate him but there was so much blood in his mouth and from his wound and she knew it would be useless. The young woman could simply shed tears as she held his hand.

"Maybe if I said 'Please stay' you would still be here..." Her body shuddered continuously from all her sobbing and her eyes have dried for she could shed a tear no more; that feeling that you want to cry but you no longer can shred her already crushed heart.

But she couldn't help but notice how relieved his face was.

_Fifteen years later_

Two boys who eerily looked like each other stood in front of a certain grave amongst many in the cemetery. They both have fierce eyes, hungry like a predator, yet as calm as undisturbed water. And their beautiful black hair swished in the wind.

They were there because it was their father's death anniversary and that their mother told them to visit his grave. Every year, on the same day, she would be like that and cold to the point that they both developed a certain dislike of the date.

"Oi, Shin-nii," the one who was shorter by a centimeter began, "Don't go crying like a herbivore. You'll be a disgrace to our family."

"Mother will cry for us, Yuuya."

"Our mother's not a herbivore. Otherwise our father will not choose her." He looked at his twin brother and couldn't help but notice the lack of a certain object. "Shin-nii, where's the Cloud ring?" Yuuya said as he raised his own Storm ring.

_In the Foundation headquarters_

"Maybe if I said 'Please stay' you would still be here..." I-pin cried, holding the Vongola Cloud ring in her hands.

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I'm thankful to those who have reached here! Yay! This mini-series is now officially over! And yeah, it suddenly ended because it was becoming too long for my own liking, gotta keep a nice attention span now from all of you, no? I was getting tired, too... But not from writing! C;

Again, thank you!

A virtual cookie for those who review! Please do tell me if you are disappointed with the ending so I'll try better when I write new one-shots! I'm back to one shots. Hope I also used their abilities right...


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